Sarens Completes Final Heavy Transport Phase for Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project

June 30, 2026 - Sarens has completed the final phase of logistics work for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, transporting the last 10 transition pieces and concluding its heavy transport operations at the Portsmouth Marine Terminal in Virginia.

The company, which has supported the project since 2023, completed all scheduled operations by early April 2026. Its scope of work included handling and transporting 176 monopiles, 176 transition pieces, pin piles, templates and the topsides of three offshore substations, each weighing approximately 4,000 tons.

To support the project, Sarens used Self-Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMTs) for load-in and load-out operations and developed a monopile support system designed to optimize storage space at the port while meeting ground pressure requirements. According to the company, the system allowed crews to access any monopile as needed and helped keep the project ahead of Dominion Energy's proposed schedule.

By the end of 2025, Sarens had completed the transport of all monopiles, templates and pin piles, carrying out approximately 740 transport operations with SPMTs and 382 heavy lifts using equipment including a CC8800 crawler crane.

Project operations also had to comply with seasonal environmental restrictions. Offshore installation work was suspended each year between October 31 and May 1 to meet regulations related to whale migration. Sarens said coordination between its onshore and offshore teams allowed monopile installations to be completed one month before the annual restriction period, helping maintain the project's schedule.

"We are honored to participate in a project as demanding yet socially significant as this offshore wind farm. We appreciate the trust placed in our team and the technology we have employed on this project by Virginia International Terminals, and we look forward to the opportunity to continue collaborating together for many years to come," said Andrew Hefft, Sarens' project manager for the project.

The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project is the first utility-owned offshore wind farm in federal waters in the United States. According to the release, construction has employed more than 2,000 people, while operation and maintenance will require more than 1,100 permanent positions.

When the project becomes operational in late 2026, it is expected to supply electricity to more than 660,000 households, with capacity to serve up to 900,000 households during peak demand periods. The project is also expected to reduce carbon emissions by approximately five million tons annually, an amount the release says is equivalent to removing more than one million cars from the road.

Sarens said the project adds to its offshore wind portfolio, which includes work on projects in France and the United Kingdom involving heavy transport and lifting operations for offshore wind foundations and monopiles.