Page 30: of Marine News Magazine (October 2016)

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OFFSHORE ENERGY

Make no mistake: the northern section of the U.S. East Coast through the mid-Atlantic coastal areas are prime wind locations. The ? rst lease area is capable of creating of more than 1 Gigawatt of clean energy with the introduction of the ? rst 200 turbines.

Separately, Atlantic Wind Transfers supports essential

Real Potential: ongoing operations and maintenance activity, helping to

Will Domestic Stakeholders Respond?

guarantee the performance of the 5-turbine wind farm Today, the offshore wind industry in Europe employs over the long term. For the lifetime of the Block Island nearly 60,000 workers with 2,500 wind turbines operating project, Atlantic Wind Transfers will provide crew and off the coast of Europe today. On this side of the pond, equipment transfer services to meet these key logistical re- however, key question(s) must be asked: quirements. The ‘Atlantic Pioneer’, owned and operated • Are we prepared to shift our energy concentration by Atlantic Wind Transfers, the commercial wind support with its offshore support ? eet and workboat labor force services arm of Rhode Island Fast Ferry, will embark on the from the U.S Gulf to coastal New England?

? rst phase of a 20-year charter to support the construction • Does current support vessel design meet the require- and operation of the Block Island offshore wind farm. ments of maintaining an offshore wind farm?

The Atlantic Pioneer was built by Blount Boats in • If so, how many vessels and trained individuals are

Rhode Island and is a 21 meter aluminum vessel that was required to provide that support?

designed by South Boats IOW, Cowes, Isle of Wight, U.K.

South Boats IoW is a pioneer in designing and manufac- The Cape Wind offshore farm positioned off the coasts turing crew transfer vessels and has built approximately 81 of Cape Cod, doomed by political pressure, was faced with crew transfer vessels for the European offshore wind sector, EPA emission restrictions addressing the idling of crew servicing wind farms throughout Europe. It is the ? rst of and maintenance boats working the wind farm installa- its kind to be built in the United States. tion. The support requirement is slightly different than

The Vessel is able to safely deliver 16 technicians in the delivery of stores, supplies and labor to offshore oil comfort, along with 3 crew and 12 tons of equipment di- platforms in the U.S. Gulf. The towers are unmanned with rectly to the base of a turbine or offshore platform. With a the delivery of technicians to each tower requiring dock- fuel capacity of 2100 US gallons, the Atlantic Pioneer has ing systems or boarding platforms not readily available in the capacity to operate for several days at a time between current U.S. workboat designs. The fact that labor must refueling, and can reach a maximum speed of 30 knots. be ef? ciently delivered and retrieved each day leads to a

Blount’s WFSV at a glance …

Length Overall: 70.20’ (21.4m) Max Beam: 23.95’ (7.3m) Trim Control: (2) Humphree Interceptors

Length, DWL: 59.33’ (18.08m) Draft: 4.06’ (1.24m) Generator: Cummins Onan model 17 kW

Gearboxes: (2) ZF model 3050 Service Speed: 26 knots Windows: Sea Glaze Marine Windows Ltd

Waterjets: (2) Hamilton HM571 Paint: International Paint Cargo DWT: 12 Tons fwd & 3 Tons aft

Seats: Cabin / (12) Seat Design Co. Passengers: up to 47 Engines: (2) MAN V12-1200CR [V-Nue]

Interior Lighting: Imtra (24v LED) Builder: Blount Boats, Inc. Cargo DWT: 12 Tons fwd & 3 Tons aft

Displacement (Lightship): 45 LT Designer: South Boats IOW Window Wipers: Exalto/Decca Straight line

Total Fuel Capacity: 2100 U.S. gal. Fire Detection: Sea? re Air Conditioning: (3) Dometic Cruise Air

October 2016

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