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NEW BEDFORD — The Foss terminal is now partially open to accommodate offshore wind support and construction vessels at its new deepwater berth — adding another facility to the port that is competing to support the growing industry.
The berth is equipped with a specially built bulkhead and crane to help offload cargo, and is part of the second phase of the 27-acre terminal project, which will be under construction for several more years.
“We’ve been getting inquiries during construction from players in the wind industry, ‘Is your berth open?’” said Andrew Saunders, president of the New Bedford Foss Marine Terminal. “And now we’d like to tell them, we’re open.”
Foss reached this phase after tens of thousands of cubic yards of contaminated sediment were dredged from the harbor by the city as part of its ongoing cleanup effort. Saunders said Foss will undertake more dredging (of non-contaminated material) to deepen areas at future berths.
Port Authority Director Gordon Carr in a statement said the city’s dredging played a “crucial role in activating” the terminal: “These public and private investments continue to be the most important part of the Port’s ongoing ability to support multiple industries.”
MassCEC has also contributed $15 million to the project. The quasi-state agency continues to invest in the offshore wind industry, including at the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal, which is supporting the construction phase for offshore wind farms.
This is one of four berths and a floating pier that the Foss terminal will have, which will be able to accommodate up to 11 offshore wind construction and operations and maintenance vessels (such as crew transfer vessels, CTVs, and service operation vessels, SOVs).
Operations and maintenance (or O&M in industry-speak) is one of the major and longer-term port needs for offshore wind projects. It comes into play when the shorter-term offshore construction and installation is complete.
O&M involves exchanging crew, storing spare components, and refueling and restocking vessels with food and other cargo.
It requires SOVs, which can be up to 250 or 300 feet long and are equipped with several facilities to support crew that will be living on them for weeks at a time (meaning they come into port infrequently).
“SOVs might be in for one day every few weeks. Other days, research vessels can come in, like the ones that used to berth at the Marine Commerce Terminal,” Saunders said.
It also involves CTVs, which are smaller at up to 100 feet long and bring crew to and from the turbines in just a day.
Port infrastructure is one of the most “significant bottlenecks” for the U.S. offshore wind industry, according to industry group Oceantic Network, and gaps remain. Saunders echoed this, stating the offshore wind industry has a “tremendous need” for adequate berthing space.
The country will need not only existing port facilities — like those in the Port of New Bedford and the upcoming terminal in Salem — but also new ones to meet the federal government’s offshore wind goals and serve the growing demand for all facets of development: marshaling, manufacturing, operations, staging and maintenance.
Among those phases, the report listed the Foss terminal as not only an O&M facility, but also a “flexible laydown” space.
Soon to wrap up next at the terminal is the grading of several acres that were once covered in piles of stone, dirt and gravel partially composed of the demolished power plant.
Once that’s done, Saunders said it can serve as a laydown space for non-wind turbine components, like zinc anodes, which sit at the bottom of each turbine tower to prevent corrosion, or big spools of inter-array cables, which connect the turbines offshore.
This, however, will be temporary. In the next and final phase, Foss plans to erect several buildings and warehouses for developers to store critical components and supplies; some would go in a climate controlled portion (for example, sensitive parts for the nacelle — the turbine’s generator).
Saunders said he expects that phase may happen in 2027, 2028 and 2029, with Foss planning to undertake further development as the industry grows and matures out of its construction phase and into maintenance mode.
“As buildings go in, laydown gets displaced,” Saunders said. “We will transition into the operations and maintenance.”
Foss’ role to become clearer this week
This week, the state is set to announce its selection of bids in its fourth round of offshore wind solicitations (an announcement originally set to happen last month).
Once that happens, Foss’ future work will become more certain.
Saunders said three developers or projects have signed letters of intent to use the terminal: SouthCoast Wind, Vineyard Wind 2 and Avangrid.
Most of this work will be O&M, which is meant to last as long as a project, or up to 30 years — more than the few years of staging and construction.
Avangrid previously shared plans to use the Foss terminal to operate its CTVs and SOVs, and Vineyard Offshore plans to use the site as its operations and maintenance hub for Vineyard Wind 2.
Vineyard Offshore previously said its proposed facility at the Foss terminal will provide “dozens of long-term jobs” and strengthen “the city of New Bedford … as a regional hub for the offshore wind industry.”
If these proposed projects are selected, Foss anticipates that the terminal will host up to 300 offshore workers a month. Saunders said this “consistent circulation” of people will spend time (and money) in the city.
To date, the Foss Prevailing Wind, a feeder barge working on the Vineyard Wind project, and another Foss tug (also working on the project) have docked at the berth.
The latest arrival was the Ocean Marlin, a geophysical survey vessel working for Ørsted, for a crew change and regular maintenance before heading back out this week.
“The port of New Bedford now has another tool in its toolbox to support offshore wind, and we’re proud of that,” said Saunders.
Email Anastasia E. Lennon at alennon@newbedfordlight.org.
Is there any valid data that supports NB Floss Marine Terminal’s owner Andrew Saunders statement that “…this “consistent circulation” of people (300 anticipated off shore workers a month) will spend time (and money) in the city”? With the MBTA commuter train soon to be operating in and out of New Bedford (what a coincidence), will these marine workers actually be staying or will they be hoping the train home out of this area.
Truly, how have the residents of New Bedford actually benefited from this economic revival of the water front? How many long standing New Bedford and greater NB residents are actually employed by wind industry companies located in New Bedford? Where are the numbers ? Where are the educational training classes to support these purported jobs? I recall seeing a few trainings for blue color welding fabrication jobs being advertised a few years ago, but nothing lately. Yes, BCC had/has a couple of classes. Has that program been successful graduating individuals now working in the industry here in NB?
The marine environments of the inner and outer harbors are again being encroached upon building out into the bay. Large industrial barges, tethered to tugs, are now sitting off the shores of area towns. This industry is impacting greater new Bedford communities in ways that were never anticipated. The increase marine traffic moving past East Beach will surely have an impact on the quality of the water. Who is monitoring that or must we wait for another disaster. The city is already struggling with an inadequate and ill located waste water plant.
Help me understand how this industry actually is help the majority of residents living in New Bedford and surrounding towns.
My son has a job driving a Crew Transfer Vessel at 80k+ a year.
He just bought a 600k house in Acushnet, he could not find what he wanted at that price in New Bedford.
His real estate agent, lawyer, insurance agent, and homes services providers are located in New Bedford.
People tend to live close to where they work, if they can afford it.
Now do you understand it?