This question was supplied by the ‘Ask the Experts’ database managers.

Reviewed by: John O’Keeffe

Last Update: October 7th, 2020

The Ask the Experts database managers adapted an interview with John O’Keeffe (Head of Marine Affairs for North America at Ørsted) that was conducted by URI students’— Eileen Dillon, Jack Gilmour, Jake McNamara and JP Monteverdi for their Marine Affairs capstone course instructed by Dr. Austin Becker, Associate Professor. The interview takes a deep dive into Navigational Risk at the Block Island Wind Farm.

Part of creating a navigational risk assessment is performing qualitative stakeholder outreach. This consists of talking to 1) the pilots bringing ships in and out of the ports, 2) commercial fishermen and 3) all of the other people who use the area. This step helps developers determine the particular concerns of each user group; and, incorporate those concerns into the project’s plans.

O’Keefe explains that this can be a difficult task as any changes to the project plan can have large financial implications.