Massive Crane Vessel Arrives in U.S. to Support Offshore Wind Install
The massive semi-submersible crane vessel Thialf has been drawing a lot of local attention since the vessel arrived in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island on Monday, May 26. The second-largest vessel of her kind, she arrived in the U.S. repositioning from Rotterdam and will be used to support the first phase of the offshore installation for Equinor’s Empire Wind offshore wind farm.
The vessel anchored between Jamestown and Newport drew a lot of attention from the local media and residents while opponents of offshore wind took to social media announcing the arrival of the “death star” (a reference to the Star Wars movies franchise).
Standing at a height of up to 470 feet and capable of lifting up to 14,200 metric tons, Thialf was the largest floating crane vessel in the world from when she was built in 1985 until Heerema Marine added the Sleipnir in 2019. The vessel was mostly used to support offshore oil and gas projects but more recently has also been used for monopoles and other elements off offshore wind projects.
A spokesperson for Equinor and the Harbormaster for Jamestown both confirmed to the Rhode Island media that the vessel is on a short layover for staging. She is conducting a crew swap and taking on teams before she heads offshore to the site south of Long Island for the Empire Wind project.
She arrived in the U.S. just a week after the Trump administration lifted a month’s long stop work order for the wind farm. Equinor had highlighted that the project was 30 percent complete and proceeding with its onshore work. Offshore work was scheduled to start this spring for the wind farm which is due to be completed by 2027.
According to the reports, the Thialf will be working to start the monopile installation for the 54 wind turbines planned for Empire Wind. It will also be placing the foundation for the offshore substation for the wind farm.
The manufacturing of the first monopile for Empire Wind was completed in November 2024 and in April Netherlands-based Sif reported that the first six of the 54 foundations have departed Rotterdam for transit to New York. The company had reported it was proceeding with the project during the month-long pause in the U.S.
Equinor reported in 2022 that it had contracted with what is now Maersk Offshore for its newly-built wind turbine installation vessel to install the turbines for Empire Wind. The plan calls for the wind turbine components to be staged at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal and moved to the site on barges with tugs from Crowley.
The project projects that first power will be generated in 2026. When completed, it will have a capacity of 810 MW.
Wind Propulsion Verification to Take Centre Stage at Nor-Shipping 2025
[By: Anemoi Marine]
The maritime industry’s focus on decarbonisation and performance transparency will be in the spotlight at Nor-Shipping 2025, as leading experts gather for a panel discussion titled “Wind Propulsion: What’s Real, What’s Verified?” on Wednesday 4 June at 11:00am in Technical Seminar Room E6, Hall E, NOVA Spektrum.
The session will explore the process of independently verifying wind propulsion performance, the impact of trusted data, and the need to distinguish proven results from unverified claims. The discussion is particularly timely following the recent release of independently verified performance data from Anemoi Rotor Sails installed on an 82,000 DWT Kamsarmax vessel.
Panellists:
- Luke McEwen, Technical Director, Anemoi Marine – provider of proven Rotor Sail wind-assisted propulsion technology
- Daniel Weiss, Shipping Strategy, Vale – charterer of the world’s largest VLOC wind propulsion installation
- Tobias Groeger, Business Development Manager, Lloyd’s Register – independent classification society providing advisory and performance verification
The panel will be moderated by Gavin Allwright, Secretary of the International Windship Association (IWSA).
Attendees will gain first-hand insight into the latest developments in wind propulsion verification, hear directly from industry leaders involved in real-world installations, and learn what’s needed to ensure trusted, data-driven decision-making as wind-assisted technologies scale up.
Panel Details:
- Title: Wind Propulsion: What’s Real, What’s Verified?
- Date: Wednesday 4 June 2025
- Time: 11:00 - 11:25 am
- Location: Technical Seminar Room E6, Hall E, NOVA Spektrum, Nor-Shipping
Read more about the recent performance results here: https://anemoimarine.com/lloyds-register-advisory-verifies-the-performance-of-anemoi-rotor-sails-on-tr-lady-kamsarmax
The products and services herein described in this press release are not endorsed by The Maritime Executive.
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