Block Island Wind Why Are They Hiding The Boat

by Frank Haggerty

on Friday


September 2020 Official Publication: BOEM published these findings in its OCS Study BOEM 2020-044. On page 184 of the report, it states: "On the final day of the dive survey, partial boat debris (e.g., paneling from a small boat hull) was observed around Turbine 1, but no footage was obtained."

.

The federal government,  BOEM, buried one sentence in a 263-page report that a boat was there.

.

On January 1, 2019, the fishing boat M/V Mistress sank near the Block Island turbines, killing two people.
.
 
The Coast Guard sent an MH-60 all-weather helicopter that left after 37 minutes. The turbines were too close together, causing radar clutter. The trawler was never found; case closed.
.
In August of 2026, the Green Oceans dive team found a boat and human remains 50 feet from Block Island turbine #1.
.
The Coast Guard could now ask the Rhode Island State Police Marine Service dive team to search the site, but they have not.
.
Since 2008, the fishing industry and maritime groups have asked for 2-nautical-mile safety setbacks. Federal officials and the wind industry approved a 1-nautical-mile setback to save the cost of interconnecting submarine cables.
.

Politicians advocating for offshore wind and state and federal agencies do not want the boat found 50 feet from a turbine. In the future, the offshore wind industry would have to implement expensive 2-nautical-mile setbacks.

Finding the M/V Mistress and human remains is politically embarrassing and affects future offshore wind projects.

.

Larger wind turbine setbacks are prohibitively expensive to build and to connect via underwater cabling.

.

.

  • Frank Haggerty

    A 2020 BOEM document, "OCS Study BOEM 2020-044," shows a boat on page 184, just above Figure 79, at the base of Block Island wind turbine #1.
            Top Page 184: "On the final day of dive survey, partial boat debris (e.g., paneling from a small boat hull) was observed around Turbine 1, but no footage was obtained."

    on Friday