Oct 22 2015
Atlantic Towing Limited of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia has secured a contract to provide marine tug and barge services to the Cape Sharp Tidal project. Cape Sharp Tidal is a multi-phase project with plans to grid-connect a 4MW demonstration tidal array in Nova Scotia’s Bay of Fundy in the coming months.
(Photo: Business Wire)
The project could be the first of its kind in the world, helping establish a tidal industry in the Province of Nova Scotia. The project and its partners have committed to investing 70 per cent of the first phase investment spend locally to develop economic tidal capacity. Cape Sharp Tidal is working toward deploying 300MW of clean, safe, renewable power to Nova Scotians in the next decade.
The Atlantic Towing contract is the latest of several contract awards by Cape Sharp Tidal, with more than $33 million invested in Nova Scotia to-date. The agreement details specialized marine services including harbour and terminal towage, ocean and coastal towage, barging services, offshore support such as anchor installation and more. These services, as scheduled, will employ up to 28 seafarers currently working for Atlantic Towing.
“Local economic opportunities like the Atlantic Towing contract reflect our vision to build a local tidal industry, strengthen our communities and keep jobs in our province,” said Chris Huskilson, President and CEO of Emera Inc. “Teaming up with local companies that have the expertise to safely get the job done is key to our success.”
Highly trained and specialized crews on three Atlantic Towing tugs—the Hemlock, the Bear and the Spruce— as well as the Beaver Barge, will support the project in the strong Bay of Fundy ocean currents. In addition to anchor and cable installation, the tugs will transport both 1,000-tonne turbines on their journey from Pictou to the Minas Passage on a purpose-built OpenHydro barge, The Scotia Tide.
Once in position, the tugs will manoeuvre the barge and turbine while crews lower the turbine to the seabed and connect the cables to the Nova Scotia power grid. The subsea cables, on-shore transmission lines and power infrastructure belong to the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE) in Parrsboro.
“We’re pleased to be working with the skilled crew of Atlantic Towing on the marine operations for Cape Sharp Tidal,” said James Ives, OpenHydro’s Chief Executive. “The company shares our commitment to safety and offers real-life experience in the Bay of Fundy that will help us achieve this ground-breaking project.”
“We have safely operated in challenging sea conditions like the strong Bay of Fundy currents and tides for more than 50 years,” said Gilles Gagnon, Atlantic Towing Vice President and General Manager. “Working on the Cape Sharp Tidal project is a perfect fit for our local team’s expertise and capability.”
Other Nova Scotia companies have come on board to provide service and expertise to the Cape Sharp Tidal project. In May, a $25-million contract was awarded to Aecon Group Inc. and Lengkeek Vessel Engineering. Two hundred and fifty Aecon employees are currently building and assembling the turbine components and barge in its facilities in Dartmouth and Pictou while Lengkeek, based in Dartmouth, earned the contract for barge design. And in July, it was announced that Chester-based Hawboldt Industries was awarded a $4.6-million contract to design and manufacture three heavy lift winches for the barge.
Atlantic Towing is a member of the Transportation and Logistics division of J.D. Irving, Limited, which provides a comprehensive range of road, rail, marine and logistics services to the global market. Atlantic Towing has been a leader in marine services for more than 50 years, bringing successful marine transportation solutions to customers around the world. With offices on the East Coast of Canada and operating locations extending from the Arctic to Trinidad and Tobago, Atlantic Towing has delivered reliable marine services through the use of modern equipment, operated and maintained by a highly skilled workforce.