NORTH KINGSTOWN – A Quonset company that services offshore wind projects is beefing up its fleet ahead of the slew of upcoming wind arrays slated for nearby federal waters.
Atlantic Wind Transfers on Tuesday announced its plans to buy six crew transfer vessels from UK-based Chartwell Marine. The new boats, which take equipment and workers to and from the turbines for maintenance and repair, are not yet designated for specific wind projects, but the company expects each will be under contract by the time it arrives, having already received “numerous inquiries”, according to Charles Donadio Jr., company founder, president and CEO.
The first two vessels are expected to arrive in the summer of 2023, with another two in January 2024 and the final four “further in the pipeline,” the release stated.
The boats, which will be built at a shipyard in Florida, will be the first U.S.-built crew transfer vessels that meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Tier 4 regulations – some of the most stringent emissions standards worldwide, the release stated.
Founded in 2015, Atlantic Wind Transfers has two crew transfer vessels that service the Block Island Wind Farm and the Dominion Energy Offshore Wind Farm in Virginia. The company has completed more than 25,000 worker transfers and 6,600 transfers of foundation equipment to those projects.
Nancy Lavin is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Lavin@PBN.com.
