State, federal and local officials, leading offshore wind industry executives, and most of Blount Boat’s workforce were on hand at Blount’s shipyard on Water Street Friday morning to officially launch Gripper, a state-of-the-art crew transfer vessel used to transport workers to and from offshore wind installations.

It is the first of two identical ships that Blount was contracted to construct by American Offshore Services (A-O-S, headquartered in Providence), which will be berthed in Rhode Island at Ørsted’s Operations Hub at Quonset Point in North Kingstown.

“It’s important that these vessels are built in the United States, but it’s more important that they’re built in Rhode Island. The Ocean State has been a national leader in offshore wind from the start, and local companies like Blount and American Offshore Services have continued Rhode Island’s legacy,” said Senator Jack Reed, who helped deliver federal grant funds that enabled Blount to purchase equipment used to construct the vessels. “We built the nation’s first commercial offshore wind farm, and today we launch American Offshore Services’ first Rhode Island-built crew transfer vessel.

“Rhode Island built, Rhode Island crew, Rhode Island berth, Rhode Island all the way.”

Attendees of the event on Friday got to take tours of the new vessel, which according to Blount Boats president Marcia Blount was a “purpose-built” vessel that is “hybrid-ready” (meaning it possesses the space and ability to utilize a hybrid fuel/electric propulsion system in the future when such technology becomes available).

But what was more important to Blount was that the vessel was made right here in Warren — the 374th boat built at Blount since its founding in 1949, to be precise.

“Most importantly, as you look at the Gripper, you must realize that she was made right here in that hull shop, from scratch,” she said. “She was once just pieces of aluminum. It takes an extremely skilled labor force to build these vessels. And at Blount Boats we have gifted craftsmen who have been with us for many years.”

Blount announced it had been contracted by A-O-S to construct the vessels in late 2021, but according to David Kristensson, CEO of Northern Offshore Services (the European company whose American branch became A-O-S), the search for the right place to build these vessels in the United States started way back in 2012, when he came to Rhode Island looking for offshore wind partners.

“During those years we have visited a lot of shipyards around the U.S., and finally found Blount Boats. Almost immediately, we got confident with Marcia and her team. And, coming from Sweden, one funny thing was that Marcia has ancestors from Sweden and the Gothenburg area, where we were also raised,” he said. “Twelve years later, we stand here and welcome the first built vessel at Blount Boats.”

Creating local jobs, and leading an emerging industry
Gripper, along with the second vessel being built at Blount (and three others being built elsewhere in Rhode Island), will be utilized to support offshore wind projects undertaken by both Ørsted and Eversource, including their joint, ongoing Revolution Wind project that promises to deliver 704 megawatts of wind power to Rhode Island and Connecticut, and is estimated for completion in 2025.

“Together, the chartering of these vessels will create approximately 80 local construction jobs and 48 ongoing maintenance jobs,” a joint press release claimed following the event. “Local companies also provided vessel components including electronics, engines, cranes, aluminum, safety equipment and more.”

Elected officials touted Rhode Island’s involvement and leadership in the offshore wind industry as an example of private, public partnership that benefits the public at large.

“We need to make more stuff in America again. We need to invest in the trades again. We need to teach more people in this country and in this state how to make things again. And you all are a part of that,” said Congressman and Bristol native Seth Magaziner. “Offshore wind is the future, and make no mistake about it…Offshore wind can provide energy at low prices that will save consumers money while reducing emissions, helping us with the climate, and creating lots of good jobs here in Rhode Island and here in America, not in other places. So it is a win-win all around.”

Secretary Commerce Liz Tanner, also a Bristol resident, said that the construction of Gripper in Warren was another showpiece to display Rhode Island’s leadership in the offshore wind industry; which began with the construction of America’s first offshore wind farm off the coast of Block Island in 2016.

“Today Rhode Island is not only the birthplace of the industry, we’re a true, proven global leader,” Tanner said. “We've built one of the strongest, most robust, most interconnected offshore wind ecosystems in America, right here in Rhode Island. And we've done it by working together by making smart investments and our world-class port infrastructure and by going all in on workforce development programs.”

It was Magaziner, however, who had the quote of the day, bringing Warren’s history of shipbuilding for the purposes of energy procurement full circle from previous centuries.

“This is who we are as Rhode Islanders. This is our heritage. About 200 years ago, right here in Warren, almost in this exact spot, boats were built for the whaling industry to go out and get energy to power peoples’ homes…And that whale oil was collected on ships that were built and launched right here,” he said. “So we are coming back full circle, and 200 years later, once again, Rhode Island is building the boats to deliver the energy to power peoples’ homes, and to make our country work.”