Fred. Olsen Windcarrier’s jack-up installation vessel Brave Tern reached Newport, Rhode Island, on 31 July.
The vessel, loaded with five Haliade nacelles for the 30MW Block Island wind farm, being developed by Deepwater Wind and soon to be the first offshore wind farm in US waters, has also made contact with its US colleagues onboard Rhode Island Fast Ferry’s crew transfer vessel Atlantic Pioneer , which transported crew from Brave Tern.
The next job for the Brave Tern, following an inspection by the US Coast Guard at its bunkering position in the southern area of Narragansett Bay, near Newport, will be to transport the nacelles to the installation site some three miles off Block Island.
The first blades and tower sections for the five Haliade 6MW turbines have already started their journey from the Port of Providence to the installation site onboard two lift boats – L/B Paul and L/B Caitlin – which will support the Brave Tern during the installation of the turbine parts.
The installation works are expected to start in the following days, and the wind farm is expected to be fully commissioned by the end of 2016.
Offshore WIND Staff