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Humboldt News

17 Mar 2024

US Coast Guard Cutter Accidentally Discharges Diesel Fuel off California

FILE PHOTO: USCGC Alder (WLB-216). (Photo: Kenneth Honore / U.S. Coast Guard)

The U.S. Coast Guard said one of its buoy tenders accidentally discharged approximately 500 gallons of diesel fuel 30 miles offshore of Fort Bragg, Calif., Friday morning.The vessel, USCGC Alder (WLB-216), was enroute to Humboldt Bay when the incident occurred, the Coast Guard said.Members of Coast Guard Sector San Francisco Incident Management Division notified interagency stakeholders and are investigating the oil spill and cause. They are also evaluating potential impacts to sensitive sites.

25 Jan 2024

Californian Port Gets $427M Boost for New Offshore Wind Infrastructure

© creativenature.nl / Adobe Stock

The U.S. government has awarded a major grant to the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District for the construction of a new marine terminal to be primarily used for floating offshore wind-related activities.The grant for the Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind MVP (Minimum Viable Port) project comes through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects (INFRA) grant program, which received a substantial funding increase…

31 May 2023

Crowley Invests in Tugdock's Floating Dry Dock Platform to Boost U.S. Floating Offshore Wind

©Crowley

U.S.-based maritime logistics and offshore services firm Crowley on Wednesday announced a new investment in Tugdock. Tugdock has developed "the world’s first road-transportable floating dry dock" known as the Tugdock Submersible Platform (TSP), to help advance offshore wind energy in the U.S.Crowley and Tugdock will explore the potential use of the platforms in locations such as the U.S. West Coast, where depth and conventional dry docks may be ill-suited for the logistics required.“This…

06 Feb 2023

Ports & Logistics: Building A New Energy Industry

Sorting out infrastructure, ports and logistics issues will be key as the offshore wind industry scales up to meet the United States’ ambitious targets. (© Solosupremoira / Adobe Stock)

2022 closed with significant developments to advance offshore wind (OSW) and the necessary, related work required at U.S. ports – on the east and west coasts and the Great Lakes. Some of these developments included:Funding – MARAD’s Port Improvement Development Project (PIDP) grants provided over $100 million for wind at four ports.Corporate leadership – Marine giants Foss and Crowley stepped up to lead development projects in California and Massachusetts.New industry focus – The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) started a program called POWERS – “Port Opportunities With Energy…

20 Dec 2022

Earthquake Offshore California Knocks Out Power for Thousands

©U.S. Geological Survey

A strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of northern California on Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, leaving thousands without power.The earthquake, which struck at 2:34 a.m. (1034 GMT), was about 10 miles (16.1 km) deep, USGS said, and struck about 7.4 (12 km) west-southwest of Ferndale, California, a Humboldt County town about a four-hour drive north of San Francisco.Local media and others on social media reported there were numerous gas leaks, powerlines down, and at least one structure fire in Ferndale.

08 Dec 2022

Over 8 GW of Floating Wind for California, But Who Will Build It?

Illustration: Hywind Scotland, the world’s first floating offshore wind farm
(Photo Signal2Noise / Equinor)

As the dust settles from Wednesday's California floating wind auction, and developers begin to discuss their plans, energy industry intelligence firm Intelatus says development of the floating wind manufacturing and installation supply chain must speed up.Developers are beginning to release details of their bids for yesterday’s California floating wind auction. The successful bidders for the two north California Humboldt sites, RWE and CIP, both bid the highest prices per square kilometer of lease area.

07 Dec 2022

First US Floating Wind Auction Closes

© picsxl / Adobe Stock

Five developers selected to build the first floating wind farms in U.S. federal watersTo support the California Energy Commission’s planning goals of 2-5 GW of offshore wind by 2030 and 25 GW by 2045 as well as a federal target to deploy 15 GW of floating wind by 2035, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has concluded the auction date for five 33-year leases offshore California. Exhibit 1 summarizes the outcome of the auction and estimates the potential of the lease areas using BOEMs standard power density formula of 3 MW per square kilometer…

06 Dec 2022

U.S. Starts First California Coast Offshore Wind Lease Sale

The California sale is viewed as a test of industry appetite for investing in floating offshore wind technology, which to date has been limited to small pilot projects in places including Norway and Portugal. Photo: A floating wind turbine - For Illustration -  By Untrakdrover - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

The United States on Tuesday is set to kick off the first sale of offshore wind development rights for waters off the coast of California, expanding the nascent domestic industry to the Pacific Ocean.The auction is a major milestone in the Biden administration's push to put wind turbines along every U.S. coastline as part of its climate change agenda. Projects developed in the area could one day power 1.5 million homes, according to the Department of Interior, and are a key part of California's efforts to wean its power sector off fossil fuels by 2045.The sale also puts the United States…

31 Oct 2022

DOT Announces $703M in Port Funding; 41 Projects in 22 States

Copyright bannafarsai/AdobeStock

U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced more than $703 million to fund 41 projects in 22 states and one territory that designed to help improve port facilities through the Maritime Administration’s Port Infrastructure Development Program. Following is the full list of FY 2022 Port Infrastructure Development Grant Awards:ALASKANorth Extension Stabilization Step 1 Project ($68,700,000), Anchorage, AlaskaThe Project will reconfigure and realign the shoreline within the “North Extension” (the area north of the existing general cargo terminals) at the Port of Alaska in Anchorage, Alaska.

31 Oct 2022

Crowley, Humboldt Bay to Develop and Operate California Wind Terminal

(Image: Crowley)

Crowley signed an agreement on Thursday with the Port of Humboldt Bay to exclusively negotiate to be the developer and operator of a terminal to serve as California’s first hub for offshore wind energy installations. Through Crowley’s Wind Services group, the company will enter into negotiations with the port to lease and serve as the port’s developer of the Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal. The services provided will support tenants in the manufacturing, installation and operation of offshore wind floating platforms…

11 Aug 2022

California Sets Big Offshore Wind Targets

Credit: Untrakdrover/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 3.0

California on Wednesday set ambitious new targets for offshore wind development, saying turbines along its storied coastline would power some 25 million homes by 2050.In a unanimous vote, the five-member California Energy Commission (CEC) adopted a goal of 3,000 to 5,000 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind by 2030 and 25,000 MW by 2045, the agency said in a statement.California has among the most aggressive climate change goals in the country, but its foray into offshore wind has lagged that of East Coast states like New York…

26 May 2022

US Proposes Offshore Wind Sale Off California Coast

© travelview / Adobe Stock

The Biden administration on Thursday proposed auctioning five areas off the coast of California for offshore wind development, a critical milestone in expanding the nascent U.S. industry to Pacific waters.It is the latest in a government effort to put wind turbines along every U.S. coastline, with a goal of generating 30 gigawatts of power by 2030. President Joe Biden has said the new industry will create jobs and combat climate change.The announcement comes on the heels of two successful auctions this year in Atlantic waters that, combined, generated more than $4.6 billion in high bids.

05 May 2022

BOEM Environmental Review: No Significant Impact of Potential Offshore Wind Leasing in Area Off California

Credit: Studio-FI/AdobeStock (Cropped)

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) said Thursday it had completed its environmental review of potential impacts from offshore wind energy leasing activities in the Humboldt Wind Energy Area, located 20 miles offshore northern California. Based on its analysis, BOEM has issued a finding of no significant impact (FONSI). “The completion of this Environmental Assessment represents an important step forward for ensuring that any future renewable energy development – should a lease sale occur -- is done in a responsible manner,” said BOEM Director Amanda Lefton.

08 Dec 2021

Offshore Renewable Energy: A Port Puzzle for Floating Offshore Wind

The (current) world’s largest floating offshore wind farm; Kincardine. Sitting off north east Scotland, it has 9.5MW turbines on semisubmersible type foundations moored to the seabed. Photo from Cobra Group.

After being very much on the margins of the offshore wind industry, floating offshore wind now appears to be ready to hit the mainstream. With gigawatt scale developments already on the horizon, what will the infrastructure needed to build and support them look like? Over the past 12 months, the floating offshore wind sector appears to have had a major dose of adrenaline. While the largest development, to date, is the relatively small-scale 50MW Kincardine project off northeast Scotland (which will be outdone by the 88MW Tampen project in Norway later next year [2022])…

11 Mar 2021

Coast Guard Cutter Dorado Decommissioned

The Coast Guard Cutter Dorado (WPB-87306) before a decommissioning ceremony on March 10, 2021 in Crescent City, Calif. (Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Dorado (WPB-87306) was decommissioned Wednesday after 23 years of service. The vessel was the Coast Guard's sixth 87-foot Marine Protector-class patrol boat to serve as the Coast Guard’s primary nearshore patrol asset.“I would like to thank my crew and all previous sailors for bolstering her highly successful service life,” said Lt. Rebecca Cotton, the Dorado’s commanding officer, during a decommissioning ceremony in Crescent City, Calif. “They made the Dorado an unforgettable cutter in which to serve the West Coast for the past 23 years.

03 Feb 2021

VIDEO: 2021 Will Be a 'Step-change' for U.S. Offshore Wind Industry

Credit:  chungking/AdobeStock

Despite being the second-largest global market for onshore wind, the United States is today a very minor player in comparison to the European and East Asian offshore wind markets, however, this is about to change.Philip Lewis, Director of Research, World Energy Reports said in an interview with Maritime Reporter TV, that 2021 is expected to be a "step-change" for the U.S. Offshore wind industry.But first, where are we today? Per Lewis, the U.S. currently has only two operational projects for a total of 42MW of installed capacity versus a global offshore installed base of 34…

31 Jul 2020

Sea Cloud's New Tall Ship is Taking Shape

(Photo: Sea Cloud Cruises)

Sea Cloud Cruises' third tall ship, Sea Cloud Spirit, is taking shape in Vigo, Spain. Interior outfitting is underway as specialists from the Polish shipbuilding company Chorén have erected the approximately 54-meter-high aft mast for the 138-meter-long, three-masted sailing ship due to enter service later this year. Raising the aft mast is an important prerequisite for the completion of the Sea Cloud Spirit, says Daniel Schäfer, Managing Director of Hamburg-based Sea Cloud Cruises The mizzenmast not only carries the sails…

18 Jun 2020

Hopper Dredge Sails 2,000 Hours on Biofuel

Jan De Nul Group has completed, in collaboration with MAN Energy Solutions and GoodFuels, 2,000 hours using 100% renewable second generation Biofuel Oil (BFO) on board the trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) Alexander von Humboldt. The milestone represents the longest continuous use of 100% sustainable marine biofuel in the maritime industry, the partners say.The Alexander von Humboldt was refueled at various stages over the last nine months, with reduced fossil CO2 emissions by 85%.

09 Jun 2020

Freight Planning… What About Offshore Wind…?

© 3plusx/AdobeStock

At the end of 2019 – December 27, to be exact – the US Department of Transportation, Office of the Secretary – filed a request for information regarding the development of a National Freight Strategic Plan (NFSP), required by the multi-year federal transportation bill, passed in 2015, called the FAST Act – “Fixing America’s Surface Transportation.”By the close of the public comment period (Feb. 10) DOT had received 82 comments. Importantly, for the maritime industry, maritime businesses and trade groups…

15 Apr 2020

Aker Solutions, Cognite Win $2M Grant for Floating Wind Farm Tech

Image Credit: Aker Solutions

California Energy Commission has awarded Aker Solutions and Cognite a $2 million grant for a project called NextWind Real-Time Condition Monitoring.The project is focused on next-generation solutions in wind through digitalization and aims to develop a holistic digital solution that will enable monitoring the condition of an offshore floating wind farm and its impact on the environment via live data streaming.Aker Solutions, partnering with Cognite, was selected for the grant award as part of the California Energy Commission's Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC).

05 Dec 2019

Jan De Nul Cuts CO2 in Dredging Work

Jan De Nul Group, the international  dredging company, said that the maintenance dredging works in the marinas of Nieuwpoort on the Belgian coast got underway.“What makes this project so unique, are the CO2-reducing measures taken by Jan De Nul Group. An example for the industry and future dredging works in Europe,” said a press release from the company. "Its an example for the industry and future dredging works in Europe."The maintenance dredging works in Nieuwpoort entail the dredging works in the port access channel and in the marinas. A large part of the dredging works are executed by means of the Cutter Suction Dredger Hendrik Geeraert and the split hopper barges Magellano and Verrazzano.Earlier this year, Jan De Nul Group announced its commitment to emit 15% less CO2 on this project.

04 Nov 2019

Jan De Nul Opts for 100% Renewable Fuels

Luxembourg-based maritime construction engineering company Jan De Nul announced its decision to opt for 100% renewable fuels."Jan De Nul Group carries out dredging work in the Benelux with 100% renewable fuel. With this, the world player is further committing itself to immediately and considerably reducing its CO₂ emissions," said a release.Trailing suction hopper dredger Alexander von Humboldt will from now on sail on renewable biofuel from certified and sustainable waste streams.The choice of 100% renewable fuel is part of the ambitious CO₂ reduction objectives of the Jan De Nul Group. In this context, Jan De Nul also wants to collaborate…

04 Nov 2019

Jan De Nul Aiming for 100% Renewable Fuel

Alexander von Humboldt (Photo: Jan De Nul Group)

Jan De Nul Group carries out dredging work in the Benelux with 100% renewable fuel. With this, the world player is further committing itself to immediately and considerably reducing its CO₂ emissions. Trailing suction hopper dredger Alexander von Humboldt will from now on sail on renewable biofuel from certified and sustainable waste streams.The choice of 100% renewable fuel is part of the ambitious CO₂ reduction objectives of the Jan De Nul Group. In this context, Jan De Nul…