Vineyard Wind, an 800 MW wind project being developed off the shores of Martha’s Vineyard, has launched a pilot program to deploy and test a secondary bubble curtain during foundation installation through a partnership with ThayerMahan, a firm that specializes in seabed surveys, acoustic mitigation and monitoring, and other maritime related services, with facilities in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
The $5 million in funding comes from Vineyard Wind’s Industry Accelerator Fund, which is administered by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.
As a part of the agreement, ThayerMahan will move the headquarters for its bubble curtain acoustic mitigation product line to New Bedford, Mass., sharing part of the Foss Marine Terminal. ThayerMahan, partnered with specialists in big bubble curtain technology – Hydrotechnik-Luebeck, has committed to hiring locally for positions ranging from deckhands to data scientists. The firm has already established a training/internship program with UMass Dartmouth, in addition to agreeing to assembly and manufacturing operations for future projects in New Bedford.
“Our agreement with ThayerMahan ensures that for the first time, a U.S.-based company will perform the service of providing a bubble curtain mitigation system for an offshore wind project,” says Vineyard Wind CEO Klaus S. Moeller. “We believe this is the first step of getting U.S. firms experience in this new industry and sets the stage for rapid expansion in the coming years, particularly in our hometown of New Bedford.”
A bubble curtain, which consists of large, perforated hoses and specialized air compressors, is designed to absorb and dampen sound during foundation installation. The hoses are placed on the seafloor around the monopile before being filled by compressed air. Once the hoses are inflated, the air escapes through the perforations and creates a barrier of bubbles that reduces noise.
These operations will be conducted from the Northstar Navigator, a vessel that will be operated out of the Port of New Bedford.
