Orsted will just walk away. Just another democratic blunder from the short sighted Obama retreads. these people have no clue. why not start with things you can control, like charging stations along the highways and turnpikes and other services that can be utilized now that could expand the use of EV’s. how about adding a 3rd rail along the left side center divider, all highways have them. a paddle comes out from the side of the vehicles fits to the third rail and away you go, you dont event have to drive it.
SO! no jobs no wind farm no infrastructure.
Have a news story to cite for this? Your post starts off assuming everyone is clued in on what is happening with Orsted. I deduced from reading your post that it has something to do with wind energy, but what is the whole story?
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As I recall reading, Orsted wants a 50% subsidy from the Feds, and reduced requirements to buy American. If they cannot get it, they are threatening to abandon US offshore wind.
They claim that an American supply chain doesn’t exist yet. The Feds have agreed to give them 30% subsidies, they don’t qualify for another 10% because offshore wind isn’t being built in poverty stricken minority areas. I think the other 10% maybe related to buy American requirements.
Supposedly, Orsted has already invested $1 billion in US offshore wind: consultants, surveys, environmental studies, etc.
Let them go. Good riddance. If and when it makes sense to build cost effective, US offshore wind, if ever, we can do it ourselves without European carpetbaggers with their hands out for a 50% subsidy from American taxpayers, and much higher electric bills.
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So a private company low-bid a contract and didn’t factor in inflation and supply chain costs, and they’re now mad that the government won’t renegotiate and screw taxpayers, and somehow in twisted pretzel logic this is both bad and the fault of two administrations ago? Thanks Obama! /s
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Actually no, we need them. I am working in the fields out here and this would not be at all possible with what the usmm can provide. It’s pretty sad, and what is provided by US flagged companies is broken down half the time. I have always been pro usmm/jones act but I’ve quickly realized, we are so far behind.
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You are working on a foreign flagged vessel doing US offshore wind?
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You can still be pro Jones Act while still being critical of its shortcomings. You are witnessing the stark reality in that other countries are way ahead of us in technology and competence when it comes to this stuff. Personally, I feel that should be a road map to where we want to be versus staring into our corn flakes wondering what might have been.
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No, I’m on a US flagged vessel, with a mix of foreign/US workers.
Foreign seamen? Or foreign wind turbine construction workers? Welders? Electricians?
No, all American seaman on the us flagged vessels.
Mostly European workers for installation, ie riggers, electricians, gangways operators. Usually 50/50 on that side. Contractually for every 1 foreign worker, 1 US worker.
Dredging, cable laying and turbine assembly vessels all foreign flagged, mostly because we don’t not have them in the USMM capable in these capacities.
What does US offshore wind pay?
Most of the reports I hear are about lower wages in offshore wind.
Wide array
American mariners, same rates as in the gulf for the OSV side because they are all converted OSV.
European mariners slightly less, let’s say 25 percent less, higher tax rates, lower cost of living ie housing, universal healthcare, very low secondary education costs.
Gangways operators 100k even time.
Project engineers probably 50-75k, all Europeans.
Riggers, electricians, etc are all over in pay. Euro guys makin couple hundred a day. American guys are all local union electricians and dock builders they’re in the 50-85 dollar an hour range. Like I stated before contractually the us govt is requiring 1/1 on foreign to us workers and on top of that I think pretty much all the us workers have to be from a local union hall.
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One of the reasons offshore wind is more economical in Europe is it can be built by ships manned with Fillipinos and Eastern Europeans on low wages.
Offshore wind is less economical in the USA because they have to pay Americans good wages.
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With a 50% government subsidy they should be required to pay Bacon Davis Act “Prevailing Wages” (which usually means the local union wages, plus Overtime, Holidays, and if not in the union, a about $30 an hour in lieu of union benefits.
I think that puts tugboat captain Prevailing Wages at about $90 in NY. It would be somewhat less in Davisville or New Bedford.
Did you forget a zero or are you talking per hour?
Depends on the type of vessel, are we talking under 100T or are we talking the larger OSVs. Probably the most comparable would be whatever Weeks, GLDD, DonJon, Miller Launch, and any of the other marine construction companies pay. That’s going to be vessel and license dependent though bc a Captain on a larger survey vessel (like TDI’s Brooks Mcall) isn’t making the same as a captain on a Crew Launch(like the Miller Girls). Or maybe they are, no clue what those companies pay.
I don’t work Prevailing Wage jobs very often, just occasionally. I have always seen Prevailing Wages paid on an hourly basis. Never a day rate.
In some states the first 3 days of the week , 36 hours, are all straight time, the 4th day is 4 hours of straight time and 8 hours of overtime. Days 5, 6 and 7 are all 12 hours each of overtime. In other states anything over 8 hours in a day is overtime.
Sometimes the hourly rate is enhanced for having a “big license” and additional endorsements.
I wonder if any of these offshore wind jobs are prevailing wage. It seems like they should be, but maybe they are not. It depends on what the contracts with the government specify.
its a post on this site from the editors