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ATLANTIC TOWING


“Harnessing the power of tidal energy is a new and exciting business segment for us and we are really excited about the prospects,” adds Peter. “We are situated close to where the project is happening at the Minas Passage, making us a great choice for marine support in terms of deployment and remediation of the units.”


“Prior to the recent deployment, we needed to generate a lot of different ways to use the equipment and tools with what we have,” said Huttges. “We needed to properly outfit tugs and barges so it would work, and most importantly, work safely. The Bay of Fundy can present challenging conditions as it has given us the opportunity to enhance our ability to navigate the seas,” he adds.


The deployment and positioning of the turbine took five hours.


In 2009, another OpenHydro turbine was damaged by the tides in the same location. But it many ways, the experience was a success as it was demonstrated the methodology that a turbine could be safely deployed and retrieved. After the turbine’s recovery, OpenHydro was able to use the attempt as an opportunity for growth and learning, marking an important milestone for tidal energy engineering.


“It has been a great opportunity to work with Cape Sharp Tidal’s partners,” said Huttges. “From the very start, they understood the challenges of the project, and they are experts at offering a safe, pragmatic and positive approach to overcoming these obstacles as they arise.”


“All of Atlantic Towing’s departments were involved in this project,” said Kevin Dunwoody, Project Management Lead with Atlantic Towing. “This project was a success because of the experienced crew and support from office staff, including the Crewing and Purchasing departments, and the Health and Safety and Technical teams. Countless hours were spent on this initiative long before the actual turbine deployment and cable connection, which involved more than 15 different contractors during mobilization and operations. We are happy to share that the entire operation was completed safely and the cable connection was successful on our first attempt.”


The future for tidal energy is promising to say the least. The partnership plans to deploy and grid-connect a second turbine in 2017,and aims to continue to work toward Nova Scotia’s goal to have its energy supply be 40 percent renewable by 2020.


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