Block Island News

There is no denying that 2023 was a challenging year for the U.S. offshore wind market. Citing macroeconomic factors including high inflation, rising interest rates, and supply chain bottlenecks, Ørsted announced on October 31 that they were ceasing the development of the Ocean Wind 1 and Ocean Wind 2 projects, which were scheduled for construction off the coast of New Jersey. Unfortunately, the troubling news has continued into the new year, with Equinor and BP announcing on…

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have launched an 18-month initiative to gather extensive weather, ocean, and wildlife data near the sites of active offshore wind farms and lease areas off the coast of the Northeast United States.This effort, which is part of the third phase of the Wind Forecast Improvement Project (WFIP3), seeks to gather high-quality data to improve the design and operation of offshore wind turbines and wind farms.

The U.S. offshore wind industry reached an important milestone on January 2 when Vineyard Wind 1, the country’s first large scale project, supplied first power to the Massachusetts grid.“As the nation’s first utility-scale offshore wind farm this is a fairly momentous event,” Ken Kimmell, Chief Development Officer for Avangrid, the Iberdrola subsidiary co-developing the project with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), told Reuters Events.The turbine will be joined by 61 additional turbines to provide 806 MW of power to the grid by the end of the year…

It’s a big deal when a U.S. president visits an American shipyard, and these trips always send a message. When President Obama spoke at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding in 2013, he warned of the consequences of sequestration. President Trump’s 2020 speech at Fincantieri Marinette Marine touted a $5.5 billion naval contract that gave a welcome boost to the Wisconsin shipyard and its supply chain partners. Most recently, President Biden traveled to Philadelphia’s Philly Shipyard…

Palatka, Fla. shipbuilder St. Johns Ship Building held a keel laying ceremony on January 18 for the second in a series of up six new aluminum crew transfer vessels (CTVs) for Rhode Island-based Atlantic Wind Transfers (AWT) to service the offshore wind farm industry."This is another milestone for Atlantic Wind Transfers as we lay the keel for our second crew transfer vessel at St. John’s as AWT continues to expand its CTV fleet to support offshore wind construction and O&M in the U.S., said AWT founder Charles A. Donadio Jr.

St. Johns Ship Building earlier this month began building the first in a series of new crew transfer vessels (CTV) for Rhode Island-based Atlantic Wind Transfers (AWT).The Palatka, Fla. shipbuilder held a keel laying ceremony on September 8, marking the start of construction for the first of six new 24m aluminum catamarans that will AWT will use to service the U.S. offshore wind industry.AWT announced the orders with St. Johns Ship Building in August, revealing that the first two vessels are expected to be delivered in the summer of 2023 and January 2024…

North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) and the offshore wind developer Ørsted on Thursday announced a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) to construct the company’s U.S. offshore wind farms with an American union workforce. A statement on the agreement released Thursday reads: "A first-of-its-kind in the United States, the National Offshore Wind Agreement (NOWA) sets the bar for working conditions and equity, injects hundreds of millions of dollars in middle-class wages into the American economy…

There’s often an upside to being among first-movers in an emerging industry, but many are often stifled by the risk inherent to new ventures. For Crowley, which today is leading the charge on a number of maritime fronts such as sustainability and decarbonization, the jump into U.S. offshore wind is being made with diligent planning, a team of experts, solid partners and 130 years of maritime and supply chain logistics experience in hand, each of which will help to mitigate the risk that comes with growing a new industry.Also key…

Offshore wind developers Ørsted and Eversource announced Thursday that they have chosen two regional vessel operators that will partner with Rhode Island shipyards to build crew transfer vessels (CTV) to service their wind farm projects in the U.S. Northeast. The joint venture partners revealed plans to charter five new Jones-Act-compliant CTVs, including three from New York-based WindServe Marine and two from Massachusetts-based American Offshore Services (AOS).The purpose-built aluminum catamarans are designed to handle the unique offshore conditions at the wind farms…

As of the end of January 2022, there were over 45 projects in development representing a $136 billion capital expenditure and $4.4 billion annual OPEX opportunity that are forecast to be brought on stream within this and early in the next decade.What a difference a year makes. This time last year there was still some uncertainty around the federal offshore wind permitting process, the timing of offshore wind projects and certainty for the supply chain.At the beginning of 2022 the situation is more positive.

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has granted Construction and Operations Plan (COP) for the South Fork Wind, New York’s first offshore wind farm, Ørsted confirmed Thursday. This is the final decision needed from the agency to move the project toward the start of construction. The approximately 130 MW South Fork Wind project, owned by the Danish firm Orsted AS and U.S. company Eversource Energy, will be located about 19 miles (30.58 km) southeast of Block Island…

The U.S. has big plans for its offshore wind industry, and shipbuilders like Blount Boats and others are ramping up to capitalize on the unprecedented opportunity.Earlier this year, the Biden Administration unveiled its goal to have 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind power installed and in development in the U.S. by 2030. The announcement, which included plans to open new areas to development, accelerate permits and boost public financing for projects, injected a healthy dose of optimism into an American offshore wind industry that has taken its time getting off the ground.To date…

While many challenges remain to deliver the full promise of U.S. offshore wind, so too do opportunities. Robert Galinski, DNV’s Offshore Wind Director, Americas discusses the pace and direction of the U.S. offshore wind market from the perspective of class.While Robert Galinski has served as DNV’s Offshore Wind Director, Americas, for just about one year, he is well-versed and long-tenured in the offshore wind sector in Europe and the U.S. for more than a decade, starting his career in offshore wind managing the fabrication…

The U.S. Interior Department said on Wednesday it approved the South Fork offshore wind power project off the coast of Rhode Island, making it the second commercial-scale wind project with federal approval.The decision comes as the administration of President Joe Biden seeks to rapidly expand the U.S. offshore wind industry as part of its broader effort to decarbonize the nation's power sector by 2035, and the whole economy by 2050, to fight climate change.The approximately 130-megawatt South Fork Wind project, a joint venture of Danish firm Orsted AS and U.S.

Sea Change - America’s first hydrogen powered ferrySWITCH Maritime’s new 70-foot passenger ferry Sea Change is navigating uncharted waters as the United States’ first zero-emissions, hydrogen fuel cell-powered, electric-drive ferry.The pioneering aluminum newbuild, constructed by Bellingham, Wash. shipbuilder All American Marine, Inc. (AAM), has been completed and was launched this summer, though permitting of hydrogen fuel systems for maritime vessels is still being worked out with the U.S. Coast Guard.“Legislation and laws for passenger safety did not exist yet for this type of vessel.

“30 by 30” is the rallying cry for all concerned with the burgeoning U.S. offshore wind business. In Spring 2021, the Secretaries of Energy, Interior and Commerce resolved to deploy 30 gigawatts (GW) of electricity generated from offshore turbines by 2030. Consultants McKinsey, in a recent article frame the value proposition for this clean fuel source, writing: “During the industry’s 30-year evolution, costs have fallen so sharply that offshore wind now compares favorably with competing energy sources.” For vessel owners, renewable energy brings opportunity.The thrust of near-term U.S.

ABS has appointed Greg Lennon Vice President of Global Offshore Wind.“Greg is a leader who will build on the numerous successes of our offshore wind team and accelerate our continued support of the burgeoning industry here in the U.S. and globally. He will position us to be ready and able to support the President’s ambition to install 30GWs of offshore wind by 2030 and to work with our global partners to deliver over 150GWs targeted for 2030 around the world,” said Peter Fitzpatrick…

The Biden administration is considering ways to ensure the U.S. commercial fishing industry is paid for any losses it incurs from the planned expansion of offshore wind power in the Atlantic Ocean, according to state and federal officials involved in the matter, [Reuters reported in an exclusive on Thursday.]Discussions between state and federal officials, which participants described as being at a very early stage, are aimed at addressing the top threat to President Joe Biden's…

Blue Water Shipping announced it has hired John O’Keeffe as its new Head of Renewables, Americas, as the Denmark-based transport and logistics company looks to make further inroads into the burgeoning U.S. offshore wind market.O’Keeffe, a former maritime captain with vast experience in the U.S. offshore wind industry, having previously served as Head of Marine Affairs North America at offshore wind giant Ørsted. He was an integral part of America’s first offshore wind farm at…

As part of his Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad (EO 14008)—issued on the first day he took office—President Biden made significant commitments to renewable energy. These commitments include collaborating with multiple federal agencies in the United States and promoting critical industry support for the acquisition of electric vehicles for the federal fleet, as well as rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement, the landmark international agreement signed in 2015 to limit global warming.

The Biden administration on Monday unveiled a goal to expand the nation’s fledgling offshore wind energy industry in the coming decade by opening new areas to development, accelerating permits, and boosting public financing for projects.The plan is part of President Joe Biden’s broader effort to eliminate U.S. greenhouse gas emissions to fight climate change, an agenda that Republicans argue could bring economic ruin but which Democrats say can create jobs while protecting the…

The U.S. is going to need a fleet of Jones Act-compliant vessels to support its budding offshore wind industry. The good news is that several of these vessels are currently operating or on order. Even better, there are plenty more in the pipeline.In 2016, Rhode Island-based Atlantic Wind Transfers (AWT) put into service the U.S.’ first-ever vessel purpose-built for offshore wind services. The 21-meter crew transfer vessel (CTV) Atlantic Pioneer was constructed by Blount Boats to serve America’s first commercial offshore wind project…

U.S. offshore wind crew transfer company Atlantic Wind Transfers (AWT) said its second Jones Act crew transfer vessel (CTV) Atlantic Endeavor was launched at the end of December.Designed by U.K. firm Chartwell Marine and built by Blount Boats in Warren, R.I., the new aluminum catamaran spent three days undergoing sea trials and U.S. Coast Guard inspections prior to deliver to Dominion Energy to support its two-turbine Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Farm (CVOW) pilot project 27…