Harbor board hears staging, access and cleanup plans for proposed Humboldt Bay heavy‑lift terminal

The Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District on Thursday received a detailed update on the proposed Redwood Marine Terminal (RMT) heavy‑lift staging and integration project, including how massive turbine components would be handled, where vehicles and utilities would access the site, and how upland contamination would be assessed.

Thomas Hickey of Moffett and Nickel told the board the staging concept envisions components arriving by water, being offloaded to the key, moved to upland storage and pre‑assembled for integration onto floating foundations. “The nacelles … can weigh as much as 1,500 tons,” Hickey said, describing the heavy‑lift and transport equipment needed, including self‑propelled modular transporters (SPMTs), crawler cranes and ring cranes. He said those cranes — among the largest land‑based lifting machines — drive the design for upland bearing capacity and will require electrical infrastructure for sensitive nacelle controls and climate needs.

Brett Vivian of GHD described vehicle access options. The board was presented with two routes: a primary west access from New Navy Base Road (LP Drive and Vance Avenue) intended for large trucks and equipment, and a north access via Cookhouse Road for smaller staff and worker vehicles. Vivian said both routes must be designed for large‑equipment turning radii and for consolidated utility corridors (water, sewer, power, fiber and gas). He added the design will accommodate the Great Redwood Trail along the west access as a community benefit.

Director Nicholson announced a U.S. EPA community‑wide Brownfields assessment cooperative agreement that awards the district $500,000 in 100% cost‑share funds to perform Phase 1 and Phase 2 environmental assessments across multiple upland parcels within the terminal footprint. Nicholson said TerraPhase was selected through a competitive process and that roughly $408,000 of the grant budget is allocated to the contractor for assessment services; the contract was expected to be before the board the next day. The grant requires no local match and will enable remediation planning and potential cleanup if funds remain.

Board members asked about geologic and coastal hazards and whether staging would increase site resilience. Hickey said minimum staging elevations and floodplain considerations are part of the design and noted that turbine components are engineered for long offshore lifespans; he deferred detailed coastal‑hazard questions to coastal specialists working on the project.

Staff outlined a month‑by‑month agenda for additional RMT presentations: August (operations, costs, ship traffic), September (energy and utilities), October (permitting/CEQA/NEPA), November (baywide master plan) and December (impacts and mitigation).

The board took no formal action on the staging or access design at this meeting; staff said the design is at roughly 15 percent and will be updated as the project proceeds.