The University of Maine’s VolturnUS floating offshore wind turbine concept has passed muster with the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), the international classification body, as its Aqua Ventus I project moves towards planned commercial deployment in 2019.

ABS has completed a full design review of the Front End Engineering and Design documentation for the VolturnUS, running the gamut from the hull/tower structure to aeroelastic/hydrodynamic loads, and found the concept meets its requirements, according to UMaine.