On Canada’s Atlantic Coast, recent initiatives at several ports in combination with international partners are responding to the fast-growing global expansion of offshore wind energy projects to meet both domestic and international demand. A major target of existing and planned monopile marshalling facilities is the support of offshore developments on the northeast coast of the United States.
Latest concrete illustration has occurred at the Port of Argentia in southeastern Newfoundland, where in mid-August a shipment of monopiles was delivered from Germany on the Target heavy load vessel operated by Dutch carrier Boskalis. The massive offshore wind components each exceeded 110 metres in length and weighed over 2,000 tons.
Located on the Avalon Peninsula, the Port of Argentia has embarked in this robust niche sector to capitalize on its strategic proximity to U.S. offshore wind farms.
Months of preparation went into the vessel’s arrival at a port striving to position itself as a key player in the energy transition supply chain. After discharge, the monopiles were transferred to a bonded storage marshalling yard on the former U.S. naval air station runways in the Argentia Northside Industrial Area by self-propelled modular transporters.
North America’s First Monopile Marshalling Yard
“It’s North America’s first monopile marshalling yard,” Ray Greene, manager of business development and marketing at the Port of Argentia, proudly commented to the American Journal of Transportation.
While he preferred not to specify the precise final destination, he indicated the units were “for installation at offshore U.S. wind farms.”
Greene also disclosed that “the Port of Argentia has secured two significant contracts to receive and store over 130 monopiles in support of U.S. energy transition.”
Four monopiles were carried on the first vessel delivering the gigantic components. Up to mid-September, there have been three vessel calls – with a total of 12 monopiles.
During last summer’s opening of the monopile transit route, port CEO Scott Penney recalled: “This started in March of 2021 and a lot of people thought that we were a little bit crazy that the Port of Argentia and Placentia could pull off something like this. But I think we’ve put our flag on the map. And we are going to be a powerhouse in the world energy transition.”
On the same occasion, Arend Van Der Marel, Boskalis project manager, explained why the Dutch shipping line chose the Port of Argentia as a partner.
“I think we spent like six months taking inventory of all the locations in Canada where we could come to, and we looked at Nova Scotia and we looked at Newfoundland. We went exotic, further up north.
“At the end of the day, it came down to a couple of important aspects. Accessibility, the support we were getting from the community. The support from the port itself.”
Prior to the launch of the monopile transit route, the port continued to implement investment upgrades of C$10 million on infrastructure improvements bringing total quayside laydown area in excess of 12 acres.
Moreover, this past July the port’s ambitious long-term development plan received an investment of up to C$38 million under the National Trade Corridors Fund to improve cargo movement.
The blueprint includes the construction of approximately 460 metres of berthing space for three new berths to accommodate larger vessels, a Roll-on / Roll-Off ramp to facilitate the movement of containers and cargo, as well as increasing available dockside space by approximately 100,000 m2. Port officials hope to more than quadruple trade volumes moving through Argentia over a 30-year horizon.
“The Cooper Cove Marine Terminal expansion and infrastructure development is a game changer and will see Argentia attract major foreign investment with project developments in renewable energy, offshore supports and a range of other marine transportation operations,” affirms CEO Scott Penney.
Novaporte Greenfield Project
Meanwhile, Novaporte, a transportation, logistics and green energy development in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, concluded a concession agreement last March with Denmark’s Blue Water Shipping, a global provider of all logistics services in modern supply chain management. Both parties are working together, along with equity partner Membertou First Nation, to develop a major marshalling hub in Sydney for offshore wind energy servicing the Northeast Atlantic U.S. and Eastern Canada.
“We wanted to partner with Blue Water Shipping because they are one of the largest port operators in the offshore wind energy space,” said Novaporte CEO, Albert Barbusci. “We aspire to be like the Danish city of Esbjerg, where offshore wind started, and is a true leader in this space globally.
“If you are going to partner and learn, you should do it with the best! We look forward to working closely with Blue Water Shipping in the months and years to come on building out their proven model here on the East Coast, which will bring significant employment and economic development to the region.”
Blue Water Shipping has more than 70 offices worldwide. Its significant onshore and offshore wind projects include the wind farm Fosen Vind, which, as of 2021, was the largest onshore wind turbine project in Europe, with a total of 278 wind turbines.
“At Blue Water Shipping, we believe in strong and long-lasting relationships, and that’s exactly what we’re announcing today with Novaporte”, said Thomas Bek, COO Energy, Ports & Projects, Blue Water Shipping. “Together, we’re launching the first major offshore wind port development in Canada, and we’re happy to do it with a local and highly dedicated team. Novaporte and Blue Water Shipping will offer strong and flexible solutions, together, to meet the increasing demands of the industry in the Northeast Atlantic U.S. market and we will be ready to support Nova Scotia’s offshore wind sector in the years ahead.”
In this regard, the Province of Nova Scotia recently announced an ambitious offshore wind and hydrogen strategy, with the initial target to build and produce 5 gigawatts of offshore energy by 2030.
When completed, the Novaporte multi-use port facility plans to accommodate offshore wind marshalling, containers, bulk, Roll-on/roll-off cargo, logistics, hydrogen, and marine services. As the offshore wind sector grows globally, there is a significant demand for sufficient marshalling facilities to support offshore developments on the northeast coast of the U.S. in the near term.
The announcement involving Blue Water Shipping is the latest step in the multi-phased development of the port.
“We will now work towards completing all the pre-development requirements, with the goal of putting shovels in the ground this year,” has stated Barbusci. “Novaporte intends to continue our dialogue with the community as the project develops, with the target completion date of phase 1 for 2026.”
For a few years, Barbusci had been pushing hard to create a big container terminal in Sydney harbour (with presently no working railway connection) that some industry critics have found difficult to justify in light of an already well-established container port in Halifax today handling the new generation of large containerships calling on the east coast. Financial details have lacked clarity in what has been touted as a billion-dollar project. However, the container terminal project appears to have been shelved until further notice – with Barbusci now embracing what he has called “this green opportunity.”
