VATIS UPDATE Article

American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), the United States, a leading provider of classification and technical services to the offshore and marine industries, has completed the design review of the Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) documentation for the ‘VolturnUS’, a floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT), ­developed by the University of Maine ­Advanced Structures and Composites Center, the United States.

“UMaine is pleased that its innovative design became the first floating wind turbine concrete semi-submersible hull to be reviewed by ABS, and found to meet the ABS requirements,” said Dr. Habib J. Dagher, at UMaine Composites Center. In 2013, the UMaine team successfully tested the feasibility of the concept by developing a 1:8 scale model and deploying it in Castine, Maine.

Maine Aqua Ventus I, GP, LLC, is now leading a full-scale, two turbine demonstration project called New England Aqua Ventus I, a 12 megawatt (MW) floating offshore wind pilot project to develop a clean, renewable energy source off Maine’s shores. This pilot project will demonstrate the innovative VolturnUS at full-scale as a viable and economical alternative for offshore wind developments in water depths greater than 50 meters.