Cover Story Breakbulk & Project Cargo
First fruits
Offshore project delivers Virginia cargo windfall
By Autumn Cafiero Giusti
Progress on a gigantic wind farm off the US mid-Atlantic coast is picking up speed , and it ’ s driving a surge of project cargo to the Port of Virginia .
In the first nine months of 2024 , breakbulk cargo volumes through the port shot up 372 % year over year to 360,976 tons , according to the Virginia Port Authority ( VPA ). The cargo windfall is largely coming from the 2.6-GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project , which Virginia utility Dominion Energy is developing about 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach in the mid-Atlantic , VPA spokesman Joe Harris told the Journal of Commerce .
The first cargo shipment for the project arrived at the port in October 2023 . Since May , Dominion has installed 78 of the 176 total monopile foundations
Dominion Energy planned for the site , with the remaining installations on track for completion by late 2026 , Dominion spokesman Jeremy Slayton told the Journal of Commerce .
To ensure the port can handle the weight and size of the offshore wind project ’ s massive components , over $ 220 million in upgrades are underway at the 287-acre Portsmouth Marine Terminal , the staging site for the offshore wind project ’ s components and one of VPA ’ s two multipurpose terminals in Norfolk Harbor .
Harris said the improvements — which include reconstructing the berth , reinforcing yard pavement and reworking the vessel mooring configuration — are 85 % complete and scheduled to be fully complete in January 2025 .
“ We ’ re still pouring concrete and doing some heavy work , but we are nearing the end ,” he said .
In the meantime , Dominion is readying to take delivery of the Charybdis , the first ever US-flag compliant wind turbine installation vessel . The 472-foot vessel , which has been under construction in Brownsville , Texas , since 2020 , should be ready for deployment by early 2025 , Slayton said .
The $ 715 million Charybdis will ferry wind components from the port to the installation site in compliance with the Jones Act , the federal law requiring that goods shipped between domestic ports are transported on ships that are US-built , owned and operated .
“ We knew early on that a Jones Act vessel was going to be key to not only our project , but also to offshore wind development in the US ,” Slayton said .
“ A Jones Act vessel [ is ] key to not only our project , but also to offshore wind development in the US .”
Components including monopile foundations and pin piles are being directly loaded onto the DEME Group ’ s heavylift vessel Orion at Portsmouth Marine Terminal . From there , Jones Act vessels including tugs and barges will be used to install transition pieces , and then the Charybdis will install wind turbine components once the vessel is ready to go into service .
Monopile installations will be paused from Nov . 1 to April 30 to allow for whale migration past the project area .
The breakbulk boom in Virginia comes as project development in the US has decelerated “ due largely to uncertainty around the presidential election ,” according to industry association Oceantic Networks ’ third-quarter 2024 market report .
However , states have revamped their project portfolios after several cancellations and delays in 2023 and early 2024 , federal permitting is being simplified , and funding from the Inflation Reduction Act is now being released , setting up the industry for growth , the report said .
email : autumn @ autumngiusti . com www . joc . com November 2024 | Journal of Commerce 9