Foss Maritime has reached a deal to bareboat charter the tug Earl W Redd from Tug Construction, LLC for use in the U.S. offshore wind industry.
The Earl W Redd will sail from Portland, Ore. to Massachusetts later this month to begin work on Foss 's offshore wind projects, including Vineyard Wind, the first large-scale offshore wind installation in the U.S.
"The Earl W Redd is a great addition to the Foss fleet and will allow our skilled mariners to safely accomplish complex projects," said Joel Whitman, President of Business Development Foss Offshore Wind. "This investment along with the ongoing development of our offshore wind terminal in New Bedford further expands our presence in Massachusetts and will allows us to continue the expansion of our services to the emerging offshore wind market in the Northeast."
Earl W Redd, built by Diversified Marine, Inc for Tug Construction in 2017, was the United States' first EPA Tier 4 workboat. Its main equipment consists of Caterpillar 3516E main engines (5,350 HP), Rolls Royce US255 FP Drives, Markey DEPC-48 Bow winch and a Markey TESD-34 Double Drum Tow winch.
After delivery, the vessel was chartered to Harley Marine, then to Foss and Saltchuk Marine's Cook Inlet Tug & Barge before being returned in May of 2021.
Chris Mack, Chief Operating Officer for Foss Maritime, said, "The Earl W Redd is an extremely capable and versatile vessel. Our crew has experience with the boat, and we are excited to have it back in the fleet. When we started planning for this project, the Earl checked all the boxes we were looking for. Tug Construction was our first call, and we are happy to announce this charter."
Frank Manning, Director of Business Development at Tug Construction, said, "We are excited to continue the partnership with Foss and look forward to seeing the Earl W Redd at work in offshore wind. It is an excellent boat for this project. Diversified Marine built a great boat with no expenses spared on equipment. We look forward to continuing to support Foss with their vessel needs and hope to build more wind boats soon."
Foss Maritime and Tug Construction have a history of working together. In 2019, Foss Maritime acquired the Michelle Sloan, Lela Franco, Dr. Hank Kaplan and Rich Padden from Tug Construction. All four boats were built by Diversified Marine, Inc for Tug Construction.