b'18American Journal ofTransportation ajot.comTexas offshore wind launch(RISKScontinued from page 8) customer care in loading railcars.r easonableC are andp roper a boutr oanoke : doesnt fly C laiMsp roCedures RoanokeInsuranceGroupInc., Project cargo moves are by theiraMunichRecompany,isaspe-But Corpus Christi continues rolling in project cargo naturehighlycomplexoperationscialtyinsurancebrokerfocusedon with multiple stages. The transporta- suretybondandinsurancesolutions By Tad Thompson, AJOT tionintermediaryneedstoaligntheforlogisticsserviceproviders,cus-rightprofessionalsateachstageoftoms brokers and companies manag-Inrecentyears,onshorewindment companies are seeing that untiltransport to ensure that all plans areing supply chains. Founded in 1935, energy components have been strongthe prices and inflation come down.adhered to. This includes having sur- Roanoke was the first provider of cus-projectcargotradeforthePortofIts not going to be cost effective toveyorsatloading,destination,andtoms import bonds as well as the first Corpus Christi. lease an offshore wind farm. trans-shipment points for high valueappointed ATA Carnet provider in the Priscilla Torres heads wind cargo So, for Texas, that was kind ofcargotoensureproperhandlinginUnited States. Roanoke has decades withinherroleontheportsfive- a bummer, Torres admits. But thatsaccordance with engineering specifi- of partnership with the trade commu-person trade development team. Twonot to say we dont expect to see thosecations and securement requirements.nity as a trusted provider of insurance, yearsago,awindcomponentcom- sites or other sites reopen for sale inDepending on the mode of transport,suretybonds,ATACarnetproducts panybecameherfirstcustomerincoming years. In the interim, Corpusthis may be an ocean, barge, rail orand specialty services. thecategory,whichnowisCorpusChristi will stay prepared. The porttruck surveyor who has expertise inDisclaimer:Thisinformationis Christislargestprojectcargo.Thehas available land to serve as a mar- different securement methods and canprovidedasapublicserviceandfor business has been pretty steady, sheshalling site for large offshore windinterpretengineeringandtechnicaldiscussion of the subject in general. It tells AJOT. farms when the time is right. documents. If plans are not followedis not to be construed as legal advice.Torres, and undoubtedly her portorsurveysarenotproperlyenactedReaders are urged to seek professional competitorsalongcoastsofTexaso nshorew indf arMss till and documented, insurance coverageor legal guidance from appropriate par-and Louisiana, were pleased that U.S.t hriving could be compromised. ties on all matters mentioned herein. Bureau of Ocean and Energy Manage- CorpusChristisonshorewindIntheeventalossoccurs,itis ment (BOEM) was offering the firstfarmcomponentbusinessthrivedimportant for the transportation inter-offshore wind lease areas in the Gulfbeforerecentdevelopments,anditmediary to understand how to properly(POTENTIALcontinued from of Mexico for sale. Bids were due onwill continue to do so. handle the claim. The first notificationpage 14)August 29, 2023, to buy a wind farmThis does not affect our onshoreshould be to the insurance company,travel up to 4,000 nautical miles, but locationoffLouisianascoast,andwind business, Torres says. referred to as the insurer. The insurerwith limited cargo capabilities. two such Gulf sites near Galveston.Among U.S. seaports, the Port ofwill assess and ensure that the claimWewanttohavebigairships InAugust2023,TheBusinessCorpusChristisAuthority(PCCA)canbehandled,andaclaimsagentback in the skies for cargo, not pas-NetworkforOffshoreWindpro- ranks in the top three, if not numberwillsendanadjustororsurveyorassengers, said Schalck.moted this opportunity in a 24-pageone, in the nation, for handling windneeded. The transportation intermedi- FlyingWhaleswillproducea publication.Amongthehighlights,power cargo.ary must also mitigate the loss to thesemi-rigid airship. The main frame will it was noted, Once the U.S. BureauPCCAs main wind cargo is windbest of their ability. This means remov- be composite. Inside the frame will be ofOceanandEnergyManagementturbinebladesandhubs/nacelles.ingthedamagedcargofromstorage14 gas cells holding helium. A textile (BOEM)executesthesethreeleaseTheseareprimarilyimportedfromor transloading it off the transport orenvelope will surround the frame.areas, companies in the Gulf will haveSpainandIndia,butoccasionallyother equipment if needed until it can their opening shot to showcase theirfromBrazil,Argentina,andChina.beinspectedandalossorsalvagelta v entureunparalleledexpertiseinoffshoreThesecomponentsareshippedbydeterminationmade.Thetransporta- WhileFlyingWhalesenvisions energydevelopmentskillsthatrail or truck throughout the continen- tionintermediaryslossmitigationapublic-privatepartnership,LTA have been honed over decades in thetal U.S. and into Canada. BNSF andresponsibility may also involve obtain- Research is being bankrolled by one heart of Americas oil and gas indus- Union Pacific service are key assetsing additional storage or equipment oroftheworldsrichestindividuals, try. Thisisawelcomedevelopmentfor Corpus.otherwise protecting the cargo. Sergey Brin, a co-founder of Google. both for a rejuvenation of economicWind blade shipping is no smallHes been mum about the effort, but activity on the Gulf Coast, as well asfeat. The largest wind blades handledp rojeCtC argor isk according to a recent article in Bloom-an opportunity for decarbonization inby the port were a staggering 242 feetM anageMentC onsiderations berg Business Week, LTA (for lighter some of the most hard-to-abate sectorslong. Thats been a really big factorThere are many factors to considerthan air) insiders say Brin has sunk of our economy. The Gulf has alreadyon getting more business coming towhendevelopingariskmanagementmore than $250 million in the effort playeditspartinoffshorewindsour port. plan for project cargo. Analyze contractsthrough a family office.10-plus years in the U.S. by providingThisbusiness,IwouldsayisandevaluatecontractorsagainsteachAprototype,thePathfinder1, critical offshore construction experi- definitelysteady.Weexpectittoprojectsrequirements.Incollabora- isnowbeingassembledinanold ence.Thisknowledge,bolsteredbygrowwiththeInflationReductiontion with your legal counsel and insur- NASA hanger in Mountain View, CA, AmericanbusinessingenuitypairedAct,whichwillencourageinlandance broker, determine what contractualin the Silicon Valley. Last year, LTA with European expertise, and the ded- windfarms.Rightnow,whatwerisks are acceptable for you to assumeannouncedthatitwouldmovepro-icated work of U.S. federal and statesuspect is that a lot of the wind com- or see if there are risk transfer methodsduction to an even bigger hanger in policymakers, has advanced projectsponents that are coming in are fromthat can be utilized to protect your com- Akron, Ohio, where the almost cen-up and down the East Coast. And theprojectsthatweredelayedinthepany. Appoint experienced surveyors totury-oldhangeroncehousedGood-region still has more to give. supply demand chain. And so thatsensurethattransportationandloadingyear Aircrafts production.In preparation for the Texas windkeeping the business. plans are followed exactly. In the event aLTAs initial airship will have about farms,TorresandherCorpuscol- To prepare for growth in the nextclaim occurs, be certain your personnel28 tons of lift, according to LTA CEO leagueswerereallyrampingup,onetotwoyears,Wecontinuetoknow who to contact and how to handleAlan Weston, interviewed in that May specificallylookingatinfrastructure.lookatourinfrastructureacrossthethesituation. Workwithaninsurancearticle and in an accompanying video, What would we need for improvementboard.Infrastructureimprovementsbrokerwithstrongexperienceinthewhich showed construction well under where we could potentially house thesemay involve buying more land, build- logistics and transportation industry toway. It is 122 meters long and can cruise large components in the sense of mar- ingstorages,orheavy-haulroadssure your risk is placed in with an insur- at 60 knots for more than 2,000 nautical shalling a port staging port? accessing highways. ance provider who understands projectmiles. Weston said the company wants Then,Aug.29rolledaround.Wewanttobepreparedwhencargo, not only from a coverage stand- to scale up to an airship that can carry There were no bidders for either of thethoselargeroffshorewindcompo- point, but from an operation standpointmore than 200 tons of cargo, with an two Texas sites! These received zeronentsaremakingtheirwaytoouras well. Having a skilled advocate goesemphasis on disaster relief. bids, Torres reiterates. Meaning, noarea, while assuring the port growsa long way towards reducing insuranceThe whole protracted saga to pro-one wants them at this time, for vari- withoncomingonshorewindfarmcostsandensuringyouarecoveredduce modern-day airships smacks of ous reasons. Her research indicatesconstruction. when disaster strikes. arrested development. that right now its just too expensiveo therp rojeCtC argo a bout thea uthor :It may be difficult to picture now, to develop offshore wind. The Gulf ofbut airship travel was fairly common-Mexico was one of the last offshoreWithCorpusChristispublicAndrewJohnsonisanaccountplace after World War I. In the 1920s and wind leases in the states to go for sale.docks,therearepipesteelprojectsexecutiveintheRoanokeHouston1930s, transatlantic crossings took place We think its just inflation and untiland steel coil. Plywood imports are aofficewithover14yearslogisticsregularly. Airships,notairplanesruled those prices come down, we wont seerecent new import business. industryexperience.Hepreviouslythe skies. That ended suddenly and tragi-any movement.Werelargelyfocusedontheworked in the freight forwarding indus- cally. In 1937, the Hindenburg zeppelin Sheadds,Whenyoucomparemilitary. So, year-round weve got thetry as a risk manager in charge of car- exploded in the skies over New Jersey, how much money the Louisiana sitemilitary coming to our port whether itrier vetting and project supervisor. Hiskilling37,withimagesofthedeadly broughtin,versustheCaliforniaorbe a deployment or a redeployment.resume also includes operations, insur- fireball searing public memory. the Northeast Coast sites, its minis- Weve even seen the British militaryance, contracts, and claims expertise.The Hindenburg disaster spelt the cule. Its maybe an eighth of the costcome to our port. And there are someAndrew began his career with a class- fiery end to airship travel for decades, of wind farm locations on the Pacificother cargo commodities that come inonerailroadhandlingfreightclaimsbutnotnecessarilyitsdevelopment. and Atlantic coasts. that are not specified because they areand emergency response, derailments,DuringtheColdWar,forexample, Theoceanandenergymanage- going to be project specific. cargo salvage and was responsible for(POTENTIALcontinued on page 19)'