Jul 07 | 2021
New Renewables Head Was Key in Block Island Development
By Paul Scott Abbott
Blue Water Shipping is looking to significantly expand its presence in the U.S. offshore wind energy arena, as the Edison, New Jersey-based project logistics provider brings aboard a new head of renewables with extensive experience in the sector while opening a pair of offices in New England.
“The hottest thing around today is the offshore wind in the United States,” Brent Patterson, Blue Water Shipping’s regional director of Americas energy and projects, told Breakbulk. “The vision here over the next 10 years is to deploy the offshore wind expertise we have developed in Europe over the past 30 years.”
Blue Water Shipping’s new hire is John O’Keeffe, most recently head of marine affairs for North America for Fredericia, Denmark-headquartered Ørsted, the world’s largest developer of offshore wind power. O’Keeffe led Deepwater Wind – now part of Ørsted – in development of Block Island Wind Farm, which launched operations south of Rhode Island in late 2016 as the first commercial wind farm off the U.S. coast.
‘Unique Opportunity’ Eyed
“This is a unique opportunity for us at Blue Water Shipping,” said Patterson, who noted that Blue Water provided marine logistical support for the Block Island project among more than 30 global offshore wind projects with which the firm has been engaged.
While O’Keeffe’s responsibility will also include such areas as solar energy and hydro-renewables, he is expected to devote much of his efforts to offshore wind, for which Blue Water Shipping furnishes turnkey management from receipt of the oversized components to laydown and storage management, to loadout for transport to offshore installations.
To best serve the offshore wind market that is emerging in particular in waters off the U.S. Northeast, Blue Water Shipping has this year opened new offices in Boston and in Providence, Rhode Island.
In May, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued final federal approval for the Vineyard Wind project for installation of 62 giant turbines in the Atlantic Ocean about 15 miles off Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. It is among undertakings that had stalled under the Trump administration, but which now are moving forward under the Biden administration’s commitment to greatly expand U.S. offshore wind energy capacity.
CUTLINE: From a shore-based marshaling facility in Providence, Blue Water Shipping furnishes marine logistical support for Block Island Wind Farm off the Rhode Island coast. CREDIT: BLUE WATER SHIPPING
