First US-built Wind Turbine Installation Vessel, The Charybdis, Launched

Virginia-based Dominion Energy has launched the first Jones Act-compliant and U.S.-built offshore wind turbine installation vessel, the Charybdis.

The vessel will be operated by the subsidiary of Dominion Energy’s Blue Ocean Energy Marine.

Seatrium has been building the vessel with steel sourced domestically from Alabama, North Carolina, and West Virginia suppliers.

The vessel’s hull and other infrastructure have been fabricated with over 14,000 tons of steel.

Dominion Energy said over 1,200 employees were employed during peak construction.

Charybdis’s home port will be Hampton Roads, one of the offshore wind installation ports in the US.

This vessel enhances the use of affordable clean energy and benefits the local communities by creating job opportunities.

It will play a pivotal role in the nation’s energy transition.

The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project is the most incredible offshore wind undertaking to obtain federal approval.

Offshore monopile installation is expected to begin in May this year.