Company Profile: Blount Boats

Published Date
July 2019
Blount Boats
Blount Boats is a manufacturer of workboats, ferries and specialty vessels.

When the Revolution Wind project starts construction in 2022, hundreds of workers will be needed for the assembly of about 50 offshore wind turbines. However, transporting all these workers to their job sites and then back to shore at the end of the day presents a logistical challenge.

Blount Boats, a manufacturer of workboats, ferries and specialty vessels, started in Bristol, Rhode Island, 70 years ago. Run by sisters, Marcia and Julie Blount, the company built a custom 21-meter wind farm crew transfer vessel called the Atlantic Pioneer. The vessel taxied crew back and forth during the construction of the Block Island Wind Farm and continues to be used for operations and maintenance runs.

Marcia Blount, president of Blount Boats, says that the Revolution and Vineyard Wind Farms will need many boats to accommodate the construction and maintenance of their wind turbines, but not just any boat will do. The Blount transfer vessels are built specifically for the construction and maintenance of offshore wind farms. For instance, they are designed to allow passengers to safely disembark in rough seas, they are equipped with an elevated tower to allow the captain to see over any cargo that may be carried on deck, and the catamaran hull allows the vessel to be operated in shallow depths, such as rivers, where a traditional boat would run aground.

While Blount Boats may have a specialty in wind farm transfer vessels, the company’s other vessels are used throughout the world. Bloat boats may be found ferrying passengers in the New York City bay and throughout New England, Puerto Rico, and even the South Pacific. Many of the local vessels will return home every few years to Blount’s dry dock in Bristol for maintenance and repairs.

Blount Boats has about 40 employees and 30 subcontractors, with about three-quarters of its workforce living in Rhode Island. Companies such as Blount are part of the rapidly expanding offshore wind supply chain, which is expected to bring nearly 1,000 jobs to Rhode Island.