John O'Keeffe Named Narragansett Bay Propeller Club's

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (May 31, 2019) – The Propeller Club of Narragansett Bay has named Captain John O’Keeffe, Director of U.S. Marine Affairs for Ørsted U.S. Offshore Wind, as its Maritime Person of the Year.

O’Keeffe received his award this week as part of the club’s annual National Maritime Day celebration.

The Port's Executive Committee and Governing Board selected O’Keeffe for his work promoting the U.S. maritime industry and offshore wind in the U.S., in his role leading Ørsted’s relationships with all maritime stakeholders.

"John’s leadership and experience has been vital to the early-stage success of offshore wind projects all across southeastern New England and beyond," said Rob Pearce, president of the Propeller Club of Narragansett Bay. "He has embraced input and collaboration from a wide variety of commercial, regulatory and environmental interests and stakeholders in the maritime community with great skill and care."

"I’m truly honored to be recognized by such an important organization in the maritime industry," O’Keeffe said. "I’m proud of my background as a professional mariner. My experience at-sea has given me a unique perspective that guides all my work with marine stakeholders. Marine affairs will always be an important component in our work to build offshore wind farms here in the United States."

O’Keeffe is an accomplished professional mariner, having sailed worldwide for over a decade as a mariner, deck officer, teacher and captain. He worked for several organizations before joining the offshore wind industry in 2016, including the Sea Education Association (S.E.A) of Woods Hole, Mass., and the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS), based in St. George’s, Bermuda. He previously served as manager of operations and maintenance for the Block Island Wind Farm, before Deepwater Wind’s acquisition by Ørsted.

John holds a 1600 ton USCG Ocean Master’s license for sail and steam and earned his B.S. in Environmental Studies from Southern Vermont College and a graduate degree from University of Rhode Island’s Marine Affairs program. John is also an 8-year veteran of the U.S. Army, where he served as a sergeant in armored reconnaissance.

The Narragansett Bay Port of the International Propeller Club, representing the maritime industry of Southeast New England, has awarded a Mariner of the Year each May since 1982. The award has been presented to individuals whose tireless work and advocacy for the industry over the last year supported the regional maritime economy. The Port, which includes the Cape, Islands, and all of Rhode Island, including public and private terminals, industrial activities and fishing interests, continues to lead the country as a maritime economic innovator.

About Ørsted

Ørsted acquired Deepwater Wind in November 2018. The new combined organization – Ørsted U.S. Offshore Wind – will be able to deliver clean energy to every coastal state in the densely-populated East Coast corridor between Massachusetts and Virginia. Seven states in that region have already committed to build more than 10GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030. The new company launches as the clear leader in the U.S. market, with the most comprehensive geographic coverage and the largest pipeline of development capacity, totaling over 8GW.

The Ørsted vision is a world that runs entirely on green energy. Ørsted develops, constructs and operates offshore and onshore wind farms, bioenergy plants and innovative waste-to-energy solutions and provides smart energy products to its customers. Headquartered in Denmark, Ørsted employs 6,080 people. Ørsted’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen (Orsted). In 2018, the group’s revenue was DKK 76.9 billion (EUR 10.7 billion). For more information on Ørsted, visit orsted.com or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter.

Ørsted U.S. Offshore Wind is joint headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island.

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