In His First Eight Weeks Working Offshore, Mullin Made More Money Than He Had Saved in the Previous Five Years

I thought it was the best thing in the world, he said. In his first eight weeks working offshore, Mullin made more money than he had saved in the previous five years. But the industry was on shaky ground.

Mullin had his bags packed for five weeks offshore with Empire Wind in New York when President Donald Trump's stop-work order last year stranded him at home in Boston. Trump, who had railed against the industry in his 2024 election campaign, halted all future permitting last year and canceled 12 offshore wind leases this spring and summer. Thousands of workers like Mullin who were promised steady, well-paying careers in offshore wind now find themselves racing to secure the few positions left or returning to their prior work.