USCG: Guidance on Navigational Safety in and around OREIs

The United States Coast Guard has published a navigation and vessel inspection circular (NVIC) - Guidance on Navigational Safety in and around Offshore Renewable Energy Installations (OREI).

The circular was published on 16 November 2023.

This document provides guidance on how to safely navigate in the vicinity of OREIs in US waters.

The guidelines cover a range of topics, including marking and lighting requirements for wind turbines and other structures, as well as recommended safe distances for vessels to maintain from OREIs.

The guidelines also highlight the importance of communication between OREI operators and mariners, and provide recommendations for how to establish effective communication channels.

The new guidelines are intended to help ensure the safety of mariners and the integrity of OREIs as the US continues to expand its offshore wind energy capacity.

Offshore wind energy is a rapidly growing industry in the US, with several large-scale projects currently under development along the East Coast.

As these projects come online, it is important to ensure that mariners are aware of the potential hazards associated with navigating near OREIs and that OREI operators are taking appropriate measures to mitigate these hazards.

The guidelines issued by the US Coast Guard are based on a range of existing regulations and guidelines, including the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 147, Safety Zones, and the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) V Regulation 34 “Voyage Planning.”

The guidelines also draw on the findings of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine's Consensus Study Report on Wind Turbine Generator Impacts on Marine Vessel Radar, which was published in 2022.

For more information, please see the document below (available only to subscribers):