Kalypso Offshore Energy plans new Jones Act cable lay vessel

Image: Kalypso Offshore Energy

New York City headquartered Kalypso Offshore Energy LLC reports that it has signed a letter of intent with Royal IHC covering the construction of a Jones Act compliant cable lay vessel that, it says, will fill a key gap in U.S. offshore wind vessel capabilities.

Drawing on Royal IHC’s extensive engineering capabilities and Kalypso’s industry insight, the partnership aims to domestically produce a state-of-the-art 5,000-ton CLV.

Kalypso’s CLV has been designed and constructed to meet Jones Act compliance standards, ensuring adherence to U.S. legislation for domestic maritime trade. The new cutting-edge vessel is designed to offer safe, versatile, and efficient cable lay services including installation, repair, and maintenance capabilities.

“Kalypso is thrilled to partner with Royal IHC to design and deliver America’s first cable lay vessel built on U.S. soil dedicated to offshore wind,” said Colin Smith, managing director of Kalypso, who is a former project manager at DEME Group where his experience most recently included development and installation of export and array cables for the South Fork Wind project.

“I take pride in leading a company capable of delivering this key contribution to the energy transition and energy security in America’s home market,” said Derk te Bokkel, CEO of Royal IHC, whose portfolio of offshore energy vessel designs includes an inter array cable laying vessel that looks remarkably similar to renderings of the planned Kalypso vessel . “The development of this CLV is a significant milestone for Royal IHC and the offshore wind sector in the U.S. We feel privileged to provide our added value to a knowledgeable pioneer such as Kalypso.”

“Cable installation and repair are critical, but often overlooked, functions to the offshore wind industry and the U.S. must upgrade our capabilities for state and federal deployment targets to be met,” said John Begala, vice president of state and federal policy at the Oceantic Network. “This investment and partnership demonstrate the attractiveness of the U.S. market and represent a significant maturation of our domestic supply chain.”

Kalypso and Royal IHC say that they will continue collaborating closely to finalize contract, engineering, and construction details. While at this stage there is no indication of where “on U.S. soil” the cable lay vessel will be built, Royal IHC has extensive experience in cooperating with U.S. shipyards.

• More on the Kalypso inter array cable layer HERE