It stands to reason that the first U.S. offshore wind farm would need a boat to transfer technicians to and from the project. And the process of building a boat is well under way in Rhode Island, as Atlantic Wind Transfers, the commercial wind support services arm of Rhode Island Fast Ferry, joined local boat builder Blount Boats and offshore wind developer Deepwater Wind for a ceremony commemorating the first offshore wind farm crew transfer vessel in the U.S. currently under construction.
With the first two jacket foundations for the Block Island project already in the water and on-site, preparations for the construction phase of the first U.S. offshore wind farm are in progress.
Yet, though Deepwater's project will provide a much-needed impetus for the development of a North American offshore wind supply chain, it is crucial that the offshore wind farm development is recognized as the first of many more projects to come.
Rhode Island's congressional delegation – including Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., – attended the ceremony.
