U.S. Customs Issues First Floating Offshore Wind Jones Act Ruling

U.S. Customs and Border Protection or CBP issued its first Jones Act ruling relating to a floating offshore wind project on July 6, 2021, which it made publicly available on August 23, 2021. The ruling approved the mixed use of U.S. and foreign barges together with U.S. coastwise qualified tugs to transport and position a floating offshore wind turbine off the coast of Maine.

The ruling relates to the single wind turbine generator demonstration project of New England Aqua Ventus, LLC to be installed near Monhegan Island, Maine in state waters (also referred to as "territorial waters") as distinct from "federal waters" leased by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management or BOEM. The project will mount an 11-megawatt wind turbine to a floating semisubmersible concrete hull designed by the Advanced Structures and Composites Center at the University of Maine. The hull will be held in place by three mooring lines secured to the seabed.