Latest news with #Thialf
E&E News
6 days ago
- Business
- E&E News
‘Death Star' vessel arrives in US to help build Empire Wind
Newport is accustomed to visits from unique ships. But even by the standards of the Rhode Island community known for its love of sailboat racing, the vessel that pulled into Narragansett Bay last weekend was different. Only the 660-foot-long Thialf won't be entering America's Cup Hall of Fame Challenge later this summer. The hulking Panamanian-flagged crane vessel is headed south of Long Island to install turbine foundations for Empire Wind. The Thialf's appearance in New England represents the most concrete sign to date that work is resuming on the 54-turbine wind project after President Donald Trump lifted a stop work order last week. Advertisement The ship also created a sensation in anti-offshore wind circles. The X account for one group opposed to offshore wind likened it to the Death Star. Another called it disgraceful and said the Rhode Island coast was becoming unrecognizable. A leading fishing advocate and wind opponent sounded alarm about the environmental toll of pile driving foundations in a prime fishing ground.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
'One of the biggest things I've seen here': Why a huge crane ship is in RI waters
PROVIDENCE – The SSCV Thialf is hard to miss. At 662 feet long and 473 feet high, it's the second-largest crane ship in the world. Since steaming into Narragansett Bay on May 26, it's been attracting a lot of attention, with chatter on social media and in boating circles about what a ship that stands taller than the Newport Bridge towers is doing here. 'It's certainly one of the biggest things I've seen here,' Jamestown Harbormaster Bart Totten said of the ship that's anchored in the waters between his town and Newport. The ship is being used in the construction of Empire Wind, the offshore wind farm off New York that has been in the news lately after the Trump administration abruptly issued a stop-work order for the project on April 16 and just as abruptly reversed course on May 19. Operated by Netherlands-based Heerema Marine Contractors, the Thialf departed Rotterdam on April 1, according to marine traffic maps, and crossed the Atlantic to start work on Empire Wind, which is expected to have 816 megawatts of capacity or enough power for 500,000 homes. When the stop-work order was issued, project developer Equinor said that construction of the wind farm was already 30% complete. It had to idle nearly a dozen vessels. The Thialf waited out the stoppage in Canada. With the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management clearing the way for construction to start up again, the Thialf arrived in the Bay on the afternoon of May 26. Because the waters there are sheltered and offer easy access to areas all around the Northeast, large ships often come in to wait out bad weather, pick up equipment or get ready for construction projects. When it was constructed in 1985, the Thialf, a semi-submersible crane vessel, was the largest ship of its kind in the world. It was eclipsed in 2019 when the SSCV Sleipnir, which is also operated by Heerema Marine Contractors, went into service. The Thialf is able to lift as much as 14,200 metric tons. In 2000, it set a world record at the time when it lifted the topsides, or upper portion, of Shell's Shearwater natural gas platform in the North Sea into place. It will use its cranes to install the monopile foundations that will be hammered into the seafloor to hold up Empire Wind's 54 wind turbines. It will also be used to put in place the latticework foundation for the offshore substation that will help send power to shore. The ship is finishing up its mobilization in the Bay, according to an Equinor spokesperson. Foundation pieces that were transported horizontally will be assembled vertically. Unionized construction laborers are being brought on board. And the Coast Guard is doing final safety checks. The ship is set to depart Rhode Island and head out to the project site about 15 miles south of Long Island by June 1, the spokesperson said. Foundation installation will start afterwards. This story has been updated with new information. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Giant crane ship SSCV Thialf waits in RI waters on the way to Empire Wind
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
What is the large crane ship off the Rhode Island coast?
JAMESTOWN. R.I. (WPRI) — If you've been by the coast in Rhode Island, chances are you've seen the massive crane ship. But what is it there for? The SSCV Thialf, the second-largest crane ship on the planet, arrived in Narragansett Bay on Monday. Jim Heagney, Executive Director of Jamestown Harbor, told 12 News the ship is expected to be used in the installation of the Empire Wind project off the coast of New York. The Thialf is a 661-foot vessel with a beam of 290 feet and a height of 472 feet, according to MarineTraffic. It's unclear how long the ship will be there for. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
