The port of Argentia in Canada has opened a monopile transit route ahead of the arrival of wind turbine foundations for offshore wind farms in the USA.
Port vice president, strategy and growth, Chris Newhook, said: “This significant milestone caps off months of infrastructure improvements, including road widening and compaction, upgrades to quayside bearing capacity, utility lines relocation, and creation of 3 acres [1.2 ha] of new laydown lands adjacent to docking facilities, bringing total quayside laydown to 15 acres (6.1 ha).
“These key port infrastructure investments will continue to position Argentia as a strategic location to capture other oversized transport and storage projects in the renewable energy and other industrial sectors for generations to come”.
The port is preparing to handle monopiles measuring 110 m and longer. The first four monopiles will arrive in early August, which the port of Argentia said will make it “North America’s first monopile marshalling yard in support of the US offshore wind energy sector”.
Further heavy transport vessels will arrive from Europe throughout 2023-2025. From the dockside, monopiles will be transported to and from a bonded storage marshalling yard on the former US naval air station runways in the Argentia Northside Industrial Area by SPMTs.
HLPFI previously reported that the port secured its second major contract in support of US offshore wind energy developments. In addition to the port infrastructure works, crane components, ramps, lifts, and SPMTs from Mammoet have been positioned at Argentia in advance of monopile arrivals this summer.
