Giant wind turbine blades offloaded at Port of Erie. Where are they going?

• More than 70 wind turbine blades arrived at the Port of Erie on May 1.
• The blades are being transported to a wind farm in Western New York.
• The Port of Erie expects more shipments of blades throughout the year.

Notice anything large at the Port of Erie lately?

The BBC Houston, part of the BBC Chartering fleet, arrived at the port this past Thursday to offload giant windmill turbine blades to the Carmeuse dock.

Where are the blades going?

The 75 blades on board, each 250-feet long, are being offloaded and secured onto trucks bound for a wind turbine farm in Western New York, according to Matt Foster, Carmeuse Erie ― Sand and Gravel dock operations manager.

“I expect this to be a year of ships coming in with several varying amounts of blades,” he said.

Foster said he didn’t know which specific wind farm would receive the blades.  

There are numerous wind turbine farms in Western New York, including one in Chautauqua County, at Hanover and Villenova, New York, by Toronto-based Northland Power. 

More: One group has biggest role in Erie’s most valuable property. How the Erie Port Authority works

A ‘highly skilled dance’

Foster said Monday that the unloading process is ongoing. He could not estimate a completion date.

He described the unloading of blades as a “highly skilled dance” between various teams, from on-board and dockside crane operators to crews removing lashings on the ship and securing cargo onto the trucks.

He said the operation sustains at least 60 jobs in the area and praised their teamwork.

“They came together on day one,” he said. “They made it look like they’ve been working together for years.”

More: How an $11.25 million federal grant will improve Erie port’s shipping business

A.J. Rao can be reached at arao@gannett.com. Follow him on X @ETNRao.