The Connecticut Wind Collaborative, Bridgeport, Conn., will showcase the collective strength of Connecticut capabilities in the offshore wind energy supply chain on Friday, Sept. 27, at 1p.m. with a tour of a Connecticut offshore wind crew transfer vessel (CTV), the Gateway Endeavor, followed by a demonstration of how workers access a wind turbine or lift cargo at sea via helicopter.
Friday’s event at Bridgeport Boatworks will be led by Connecticut Wind Collaborative Executive Director Kristin Urbach, Bridgeport Boatworks owner Harry Boardsen, WINDEA Offshore Managing Partner Bradley Neuberth, and Junior Volpe of Hornblower Marine, and will feature a helicopter demonstration provided by HeliService USA.
Guests will be invited to tour Gateway Endeavor, a CTV retrofitted by Bridgeport’s Hornblower Marine for use by Norwalk’s WINDEA Offshore, which provides a fleet of CTVs for use along the East Coast. Gateway Endeavor is the fifth vessel in WINDEA’s fleet of newbuild offshore wind CTVs.
WINDEA Offshore is a joint venture of MidOcean Wind LLC and Hornblower Group and is a U.S. offshore wind crew transfer vessel operator. “The collaboration of two Connecticut-based companies, Bridgeport Boatworks and WINDEA Offshore, with Rhode Island-based HeliService USA, exemplifies our ability to work together to amplify Connecticut’s role in not only leading the way in offshore wind but also in collaborating with regional partners,” Urbach said in a statement announcing the demonstration.
“Hornblower Marine is proud to work alongside our local crew, community partners, and elected officials to build upon Bridgeport’s robust waterfront history and lead the maritime industry’s continued innovation, including in the burgeoning North American Offshore Wind space,” said Junior Volpe, senior vice president of vessel construction & repair at Hornblower Marine. “Our success in both transforming vessels for CTV use and growing our fleet of new US-built, industry-leading CTVs designed for the unique North American maritime conditions is built upon Bridgeport’s talented workforce and its commitment to the vital maritime and offshore wind industries.”
“We’re happy to welcome stakeholders from the offshore wind industry to Bridgeport Boatworks,” said Boardsen. “It has been six years since our reopening of a dormant shipyard facility in Bridgeport Harbor and to host an event like this is very special for us. Creating dozens of local jobs, investing in the City of Bridgeport, and creating new opportunities for Bridgeport Harbor with partners like Hornblower Marine and WINDEA is truly exciting and revolutionary for the harbor while establishing business for years to come.”
“We’re excited to showcase these unique capabilities and high-paying local jobs the development of offshore wind has brought to New England,” said Michael Tosi, CEO of HeliService USA. “As a native New Englander, hiring folks originally from the area who are able to stay or return home is near and dear to my heart. There are no other commercial helicopter operations of this nature on the East Coast. We’re proud that over 95% of our staff are locally based, with many of our pilots and flight engineers residing in Connecticut.”
Connecticut’s role in the development of offshore wind thus far has been highlighted by the rebuilt state pier in the Port of New London. This marine terminal serves as the East Coast’s premier marshaling, assembly, and shipping point for offshore wind turbine components destined for wind farms along the Northeast’s Continental Shelf.
