Saltchuk Reaches Deal to Develop Offshore Wind Terminal in New Bedford
Washingto-based maritime conglomerate Saltchuk is set to build and operate a marine terminal at the Port of New Bedford to support offshore wind farm developments, the company's towing division Foss announced on Wednesday.
Saltchuk is partnering with New Bedford-based investment firm Cannon Street Holdings to develop the 30-acre site, which will be called the New Bedford Foss Marine Terminal. Andrew Saunders, a commercial offshore marine industry attorney with CSH, will serve as the president of the terminal. DEME Offshore US, which holds the transport and installation contract for Vineyard Wind 1, supported the project's development.
The former Sprague Terminal / Eversource site sits just across the Acushnet River from Fairhaven Shipyards. It was selected for its location, which is close to offshore wind lease blocks south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, including the first-of-its-kind Vineyard Wind project. There are no bridges to seaward of the terminal, so high and heavy cargoes will not be subject to air draft restrictions.
The site will undergo redevelopment over the next year and is slated to open in March 2023. It will provide storage and laydown yards for equipment and materials, berths for tug and barge operations, and will host crew transfer vessel (CTV) and service operation vessel (SOV) support services. It will also include new office space for project teams and a marine coordination center for technicians involved in offshore wind projects.
“Today marks a big day for the Port of New Bedford and the City as a whole,” said Saunders. “The repurposing of this facility to support offshore wind has been a vision for many and it is great to see this project now begin to materialize”.
A groundbreaking ceremony will be held later this year, in conjunction with the regional chamber of commerce.