Global Maritime Consultancy & Engineering has signed a contract with leading offshore wind developer Deepwater Wind to provide marine warranty services for the Block Island Wind Farm, America’s first offshore wind farm.
Services that will be provided include a technical review of all installation procedures and calculations; the survey and inspection of installation vessels; the witnessing of the installation of turbines and subsea cables; and the issuing of Certificates of Approval.
David Sutton, CEO of Global Maritime Consultancy & Engineering, said: “The potential for offshore wind in the US is huge – both in terms of jobs created and in providing cleaner energy into the national energy mix. Global Maritime is therefore delighted to be involved in such a prestigious project. As a leader in marine warranty services, we will help set the standards in offshore wind operations in the US, developing technical audits, assessing the readiness of operations, and reducing risk.”
Global Maritime Engineering Manager Thomas Smith backed up his words: "This is a significant milestone for Global Maritime as we look to demonstrate our expertise in offshore wind power. With Deepwater Wind having a number of other potential projects (as do others), we will continue to look for opportunities in this sector, both in Marine Warranty and in Engineering.”
Block Island is located 15 kilometers from the coast of the State of Rhode Island. The Block Island Wind Farm will consist of five GE Haliade turbines, each with a 6 Megawatt capacity, mounted on jacket foundation structures off the southeast corner of the island. A submarine cable will connect these to the island, while another cable will be laid to connect the island to the mainland, allowing excess power to be sold there. The farm is scheduled to become operational in November 2016.
Deepwater Wind is America’s leading offshore wind developer with the Block Island Wind Farm the first in the nation. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Deepwater Wind is actively developing and building a portfolio of offshore wind projects to serve multiple markets on both the East and West Coasts of the US.