Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
BOX 4-1
Offshore Wind Installation and Service Vessels
Installation of the foundations (driving monopiles or setting
jackets) will likely be carried out with barges and tugs. A recently
delivered derrick barge has a fuel capacity of 300,000 gallons pro-
tected by inner bottom and wing tanks. Each tug typically has an
aggregate fuel and lubricating oil capacity of 5,000 gallons.
Transportation and installation of turbine components may
be accomplished by using (
a
) a specially designed self-propelled
vessel or (
b
) a combination of barges and barge cranes. As an
example of the first case, a turbine component installer design
offered by Keppel Amfels carries 500,000 gallons of diesel fuel. In
the second case, the barge and crane barge described for founda-
tion installation could be used, with the fuel capacities given
above. If a lift vessel is used, fuel capacity would likely not exceed
50,000 gallons.
For reference, the amount of oil estimated to have been released into
the ocean during the Exxon Valdez oil spill was 10.8 million gallons (Exxon
Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council n.d.).
Comparison with Offshore and Land-Based Fossil
Fuel Facilities
Table 4-1 presents the committee's judgment, based on its experience
across industries, of the relative risks of offshore wind facilities, offshore
oil and gas facilities, land-based fossil fuel extraction facilities, and lique-
fied natural gas terminals. The table indicates the level of risk to human life
and the environment under normal operating conditions. It also shows
the risk levels under “design conditions,” which are the conditions that
the facility is designed to resist or withstand. As shown, the risks to human
safety and the environment associated with structural failure of offshore
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