Enormous high-tech transport vessel finds safe harbour at Port of Sydney
White Marlin is carrying a substation destined for wind project off Rhode Island
A gigantic vessel docked at the Port of Sydney in Cape Breton has been capturing the attention of the city's residents for months.
Speaking at a Sydney Port Days event this past week, Blair MacDougall, founder and director of Waterford Energy Services Inc., shed light on the vessel's presence in the port and its role in renewable energy projects.
The White Marlin is a high-tech, semi-submersible, heavy-lift transport vessel owned by maritime services company Boskalis.
Built in 2015, it is 217 metres long and 63 metres wide with a 10-metre draft.
The vessel is carrying an offshore substation built in Singapore belonging to Danish renewable energy company Orsted.
The substation was destined for an Orsted wind project off the coast of Rhode Island, but there were issues with the structure meant to host the substation, MacDougall said.
He said that forced Orsted and Boskalis to find a place to dock the vessel and substation until it can be installed.
MacDougall said Sydney's harbour has a rare combination of deep water, sheltered conditions, flat land access, and robust wharf structures — qualities few other locations possess.
Waterford Energy Services is maintaining the substation while it awaits deployment, which is expected to be by the end of the year, he said.
He said while it is docked, it will contribute to the local economy through significant purchases of essential supplies, including electrical equipment and fuel.
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With files from CBC Radio's Mainstreet Nova Scotia
