Vineyard Wind Builds On Partnership With Local Fishing Industry
$5 MILLION IN FUNDING TO DATE HAS CREATED OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOCAL FISHING VESSELS ON FIRST IN THE NATION PROJECT
*From left to right, Capt. Jordan Rosonina, Capt. Paul Rosonina, Crista Bank of Vineyard Wind, Jennifer Downing of the New Bedford Ocean Cluster, Capt. John Verissimo, Capt. Alex Hall (behind), Jennifer Cullen of Vineyard Wind, Dan Kent (behind) of Vineyard Wind, CEO of Vineyard Wind Klaus Moeller, Capt. Tony Alvernaz, Capt. Joe Huckemeyer, Travis Lowery (behind) of Vineyard Wind, and Gordon Carr of the New Bedford Port Authority
(NEW BEDFORD, MA) – Vineyard Wind CEO Klaus S. Moeller visited the State Pier in New Bedford to wish Captain Tony Alvernaz and the crew of the FV Kathryn Marie well as they embarked on an 8-day trip to support offshore construction for the first-in-the-nation offshore wind project.
“Local fishermen bring tremendous value to our operations. Their unique local knowledge and network is a huge part of the successful construction of Vineyard Wind,” said Vineyard Wind CEO Klaus S. Moeller. “This emphasizes that the development of offshore wind would bring opportunities for our industries to work together, and we hope that the precedents we’ve set will become the norm for each and every project.”
“We’re grateful to draw from the skill and expertise of local fishing communities as we pioneer this groundbreaking project in the United States,” said Vineyard Wind Deputy CEO Miguel Sanchez Calero.“Experienced and local fishermen like Captain Alvenaz and the FV Kathryn Marie have an important role to play in the development of this historic project, and a tremendous opportunity for collaboration through the further buildout of this industry in the Northeast.”
*From left to right, signage aboard the FV Kathryn Marie, picture of vessel
Since 2019, Vineyard Wind has spent approximately $5 million hiring more than 30 local fishing vessels at different stages of the project, including fisheries research campaigns, scout vessels to support geophysical survey vessels and more recently as safety vessel support for offshore cable installation.
“Fishing can be a boom or bust industry,” said FV Kathryn Marie Captain Tony Alvernez. “By working with Vineyard Wind, we’re able to add a new stream of revenue to our business, while at the same time update our vessel with improved safety equipment. This should be a real opportunity for us for years to come.”
*From left to right, Captains Alex Hall and Tony Alvernaz of the FV Kathryn Marie
Vineyard Wind is also supporting fishing vessels and their crew to meet industry Health, Safety and Environment (ESG) standards and the United States Coast Guard’s (USCG) requirements by providing safety training classes at UMass Dartmouth SMAST, in addition to sponsoring captain training classes to help fishermen get their Merchant Mariner Credentials. Ten fishermen have already completed the captain training class and passed their USCG exams, with an additional 20+ in the pipeline.
Vineyard Wind has also allocated $250,000 in Accelerator Funding to cover the cost of additional safety equipment, such as Personal Locator Beacons on survival suit, as well as extra VHF radios and other items.
Vineyard Wind recently submitted its first annual report to the state compiled by UMass Dartmouth and Springline Research Group that found Vineyard Wind more than doubled early estimates for the number of jobs created and dollars invested.
*Vineyard Wind CEO Klaus Moeller and Capt. Joe Alvernaz of the FV Kathryn Marie
An 800-megawatt project located 15 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, Vineyard Wind will generate electricity for more than 400,000 homes and businesses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, create 3,600 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) job years, save customers $1.4 billion over the first 20 years of operation, and is expected to reduce carbon emissions by more than 1.6 million metric tons per year, the equivalent of taking 325,000 cars off the road annually. The project will begin delivering clean energy to Massachusetts later this year