Viable ports are essential for the development of the offshore wind industry, as they are vital for storage, assembly, and installation (The White House, 2021). They also serve as bases for offshore maintenance and servicing (Lefevre-Marton et al., 2019). In order for OSW development to move forward in a timely manner, the demand for ports that have the capacity to support offshore wind activity must be met. Depicted in the map below are all the ports in the U.S. and their readiness based on the presence of wind turbine installation vessels (WTIVs), the status of existing transmission (feeder) lines, and the state of any floating substructures.

Of the thirty-five identified ports, only Portsmouth Marine Terminal in Virginia is fit to fully support wind installation vessels because it can support loadout of feeder barges and wind turbine installation vessels (Shields et al., 2022). Furthermore, only New Bedford in Massachusetts, Morehead City in North Carolina and Galveston, Texas have unrestricted overhead clearance, meaning the transport and construction of offshore wind components would not be blocked by critical infrastructure (Elkinton, Blatiak, & Ameen, 2014). These ports are especially important as they lower costs of offshore wind by making it cheaper to set turbines on land and improving safety. It is evident that existing ports must be updated to be able to serve OSW projects (Parkison & Kempton, 2022). California has the most existing ports of all coastal states followed by New York. Yet, current West Coast ports lack available infrastructure and may not be economical for the offshore wind industry due to their existing large quantities of imports and exports (Shields et al., 2022). A limited number of East Coast ports are fit for storage and assembly, and therefore, will not meet demand (Shields et al., 2022). As wind turbines and offshore wind projects continue to grow, the limited existing suitable port infrastructure for offshore wind is becoming increasingly constrained.