Thialf arrives in US ahead of Empire Wind 1 foundation installation campaign

Heerema’s semisubmersible crane vessel (SSCV) Thialf has arrived in Narragansett Bay off Rhode Island in preparation for its work on the Empire Wind 1 project, Equinor’s offshore wind farm planned for the federal waters off New York.

The Thialf had departed Rotterdam on April 1 expecting to make its way toward New York, but shored up in Canada while work on the project was stalled. 

On April 16, the Empire Wind 1 project was shut down by a stop work order issued by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. That suspension was lifted on May 20 when BOEM notified Equinor subsidiary Empire Offshore Wind LLC that construction could resume. 

Upon BOEM’s lifting of the suspension, the Thialf sailed to Narragansett Bay, and arrived there on May 26.

The SSCV has been stationed in Narragansett Bay because the waters there are sheltered and offer easy access to areas all around the Northeast. The bay has often seen large ships come in to wait out bad weather, pick up equipment, or get ready for construction projects. 

The vessel is set to leave Rhode Island by June 1 and arrive at the New York project site sometime after that, where crews will use its cranes to install the monopile foundations for the 54 wind turbines planned for Empire Wind 1.

The Thialf will also be used to put in place the latticework foundation for the offshore substation that will help send power to shore.

Empire Wind 1 will comprise 54 Vestas 15 MW turbines, which will be installed by the Maersk WIV, a wind installation vessel that was recently launched to sea at Seatrium’s shipyard in Singapore.

The Empire Wind 1 offshore wind farm is planned to produce first power in late 2026, with full commissioning in 2027.