Maritime Law and Offshore Wind

Offshore wind power is a newly-developing “hot topic” of importance to all persons involved in United States maritime matters.  Although Europe has harnessed offshore wind energy for years, it is an emerging industry in the United States.  Finally, after years of increasing interest, the United States is embracing the possibilities of offshore wind energy production. In 2021, President Biden announced the goal of generating 30 gigawatts (GW) of energy from offshore wind sources by 2030.  And just this summer, the White House proposed expanding offshore wind development into the Gulf of Mexico, directed even stronger federal action to develop offshore wind off of the Atlantic Coast, and launched a new Federal-State Offshore Wind Implementation Partnership to accelerate the offshore wind industry.

While offshore wind is a new, complex, and rapidly evolving industry in the United States, many of its facets are inherently subject to, or affected by, maritime law.  It relies on various marine vessels and services , including surveying installation sites, preparing the seabed for the installation of offshore wind structures, carrying out the actual installation of offshore wind sites, transporting components and equipment, transporting crews, housing workers on vessels at offshore sites, and laying submarine electrical cables. The installation of wind farms also involves such maritime issues such as maintaining the safety of navigation and protecting the environment.

While the overall concept of offshore wind development may be straightforward, navigating the laws that apply to offshore wind development and operation can be anything but. 

Experts will provide a One-Hour Briefing on topics of vital interest to all persons involved in offshore wind development matters.  Topics that will be covered include:

• The maritime and operational risks in offshore wind development and operation (15 minutes)
• The safety regulations that will apply to offshore wind development and related maritime operations (10 minutes)
• The laws that will be applied to address operational casualties in connection with offshore wind (15 minutes)
• The impact of maritime laws on offshore wind casualty cases (10 minutes)
• The marine insurance considerations for offshore wind (10 minutes)

Participants to this One-Hour Briefing are entitled to a 35% discount off PLI’s Maritime Law Answer Book (2022), authored by Allen Black and Charlie Papavizas. Simply enter discount code YNT2 MLB35 into both priority code boxes in your cart prior to checkout.

Who Should Attend:  All persons involved in activities related to offshore wind development will benefit from this presentation, including businesspersons, corporate counsel, vessel operators, offshore wind suppliers and service providers, marine insurance professionals, finance professionals, and maritime legal practitioners.

Program Level: Update

Prerequisites: None

Advanced Preparation: None

Faculty:

Allen Black

Mills Black LLP

Peter F. Black

Mills Black LLP