Tugboats move a 400-foot barge through the New Bedford Hurricane Barrier gate on 9/6/23 that is carrying components of offshore wind turbines for Vineyard Wind’s project 30 miles off the coast of Cape Cod, including three 321-foot turbine blades, and parts of the tower that will be 700 feet tall when fully constructed/assembled offshore. Submitted photo.
From Press Release Materials
Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), on September 6, 2023, shipped the first GE Haliade-X Wind Turbine Generator (WTG) from the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal to its location more than 30 miles off the coast of Cape Cod.
Foss Maritime, a US service contractor that provides union jobs for its employees, has partnered with DEME Offshore US to design and build highly specialized US-flagged barges to transport the components to the lease area. The Marmac in New Bedford, Mass., and the Foss Prevailing Wind in Boston, both 400-feet-long, are the only two barges in existence capable of transporting in an upright position GE’s massive Haliade-X turbine components that when constructed will rise more than 700 feet.
The barges utilize a specially designed Barge Master technology that uses a patented control system and cylinders that support a platform and actively compensate the motions of the barge. The wind turbine components are fastened to the motion compensated platform for a smooth ride in ocean conditions.
Tugboats move a 400-foot barge through the New Bedford Hurricane Barrier gate on 9/6/23 that is carrying components of offshore wind turbines for Vineyard Wind’s project 30 miles off the coast of Cape Cod, including three 321-foot turbine blades, and parts of the tower that will be 700 feet tall when fully constructed/assembled offshore. Submitted photo.
“It may look easy, but the safe transportation of these components miles over the open water is no small feat,” said Vineyard Wind CEO Klaus S. Moeller. “While we’ve had many firsts, once this turbine is installed, it will stand as a proud symbol of American’s energy transition. I want to thank all of our partners for their continued collaboration and look forward to celebrating the progress of our industry.”
GE will initially load the U.S.-flagged Marmac from the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal with three vertically placed tower sections reaching more than 200 feet in height, three 321-foot-long blades and a nacelle pod that houses the generating components. Foss will deliver loads weighing more than 1,700 tons each, to construction partner DEME Group’s Sea Installer vessel with 300-foot-deep legs stationed 65 miles from New Bedford south of Martha’s Vineyard.
Visit www.vineyardwind.com
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