A massive heavy-lift vessel glided through the fog into Salem Harbor on Sunday morning, June 23, for the Salem Offshore Wind Terminal project and quickly became a hot topic. No definitive timeline has been provided as the vessel assists in the construction of the wind terminal, which is projected to be fully operational by 2025. The terminal will support several offshore wind projects up and down the Atlantic Ocean.
The vessel, featuring a towering crane designed to handle enormous wind turbine components and other loads, arrived to support the development of the Salem Offshore Wind Terminal, what the Healey-Driscoll administration has characterized as a cornerstone of the state’s ambitious clean energy goals.
The Salem Offshore Wind Terminal, located on a 42-acre site formerly occupied by a coal- and oil-fired power plant, is being developed by Crowley Wind Services Inc. as a marshaling facility for offshore wind projects. The terminal will play a crucial role in receiving, storing, assembling and shipping wind turbine components to offshore wind farms.
On-site equipment will include high-capacity cranes capable of handling the massive turbine components, some of which can weigh up to 400 tons and reach heights of over 250 feet. The facility is designed to support the assembly and deployment of wind turbines, positioning Salem as a hub for the growing offshore wind sector in the northeastern United States.
Marblehead residents said the heavy-lift vessel piqued their curiosity.
“I live over here on the west side of town near the cemetery overlooking the water,” said Leon Rutkowski. “The ship came in Sunday during the fog. And it’s been sitting over there, and it’s not really bothering anybody. But you know, it’s huge.”
Rutkowski added, “It makes a small rumble that you can hear. But it’s not obnoxiously loud and then at night, they have a lot of lights on it, including on the crane.”
Some Marblehead residents were unaware of the terminal being built, like Charles Gessner, who first noticed the massive vessel while he and his wife were on their boat.
“Progress is what it is. People forget that,” said Gessner on the large project’s construction. “I’m old enough to remember when they were building interstate highways and tearing up whole cities. This is nothing compared to that.”
Marblehead resident Judith Black pointed to the broader benefits of the project and the role it plays in addressing climate change.
“Our species is standing at the edge of extinction. So you might say, ‘Oh, I don’t like the way wind turbines look or the way the terminal looks,’ well, too bad,” said Black. “I mean, if you want to keep using fossil fuels, you are destroying our living climate. Some things have to change.”
Black added, “Keep looking at the big picture, not their own comfort, not their own backyard. But a slightly larger picture. Do you want a livable climate for your children?”
However, not all residents have shared the enthusiasm.
Gregg Thibodeau, a retired engineer from Marblehead with over 40 years of experience, raised concerns in the past about the project’s impact on the community.
Thibodeau’s concerns, based on his review of the port’s 500-plus-page permitting document, include noise pollution, lighting issues, water and air pollution and visual impacts. Last year, he noted that the construction will require driving approximately 600 pilings into bedrock to support a new 400-foot jetty wharf and the 416-foot-by-66-foot pre assembly and load-out deck.
“The noise from the 24×7 pounding pile driving alone will have a major impact on the quiet enjoyment of the harbor’s recreational users and Marblehead’s West Shore homeowners,” Thibodeau wrote in a call to action circulated among members of the Naugus Head Association in 2022.
Thibodeau also raised concerns about the use of diesel-powered equipment for handling the massive windmill components, which he believes will add to air and noise pollution.
In a recent meeting, John Berry, director of terminal operations for Crowley, said the $180 million project, a partnership between Crowley, Salem and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, has received $78.8 million in state and federal funding.
Bruce Carlisle, managing director for offshore wind at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, explained the terminal’s role in Massachusetts’ goal of 20 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2050.
“Offshore wind is critically important to Massachusetts’ energy and climate future,” Carlisle said.
