First US Offshore Wind Farm Scoops Safety Accolade

The National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) has presented Deepwater Wind with the 2018 Safety-in-Seas (SIS) award for its safety practices during and after the construction of the 30MW Block Island, the first offshore wind farm in the United States.

NOIA said it presented the award to Deepwater Wind for its safety innovations, which include the design and use of a crew transfer vessel (CTV) and transfer/ascent/descent system using Self-Retracting Lifeline (SRL) fall-arrest technology.

According to the association, Deepwater Wind logged over 40,000 offshore person-hours without a safety incident during the wind farm’s first year of operation.

“Deepwater Wind broke ground as the developer of America’s first offshore wind farm, and has done so again as the first renewable energy company to win the NOIA Safety in Seas Award,” said NOIA President Randall Luthi.

“Safe offshore operations, both traditional and non-traditional, are essential in meeting our nation’s energy needs, and I congratulate Deepwater Wind for setting the bar for excellence in safe offshore wind operations while paving the way for the nascent U.S. offshore wind industry.”

Deepwater Wind’s entry was evaluated by an independent panel of judges from the U.S. Coast Guard, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, the Transportation Research Board, and an industry safety consultant.

The 30MW Block Island offshore wind farm comprises five GE Haliade 150-6MW turbines which went online at the beginning of 2017.