Crowley teams with Esvagt in U.S. offshore wind JV

Crowley and Esvagt will develop a best-in-class design and deliver U.S flag SOVs crewed by U.S. mariners.

Jacksonville, Fla., based Crowley Maritime and Esbjerg, Denmark, headquartered Esvagt are partnering in a joint venture to bolster the supply of purpose-built Jones Act vessels to support the emerging U.S. offshore wind energy market.

Consistent with Jones Act requirements Crowley will own and operate the vessels with its highly trained U.S. mariners, while Crowley and Esvagt will share in the economics of the venture.

Esvagt, a leading Service Operation Vessel (SOV) operator in Europe, will provide technical advice on the design, construction, and operation of the vessels, based solidly on its past performance with this specific vessel type.

The venture will work to develop a best-in-class design and deliver its first wind-dedicated, U.S flag SOV.

Earlier this year, Crowley formed its New Energy division strategically focused on services supporting the emerging energy sectors in the U.S. and adjacent regions. Within the offshore wind industry, Crowley’s New Energy expansion, including this latest partnership, advances the company as a total lifecycle service provider. Service offerings include transportation of turbines during construction, industry-specific support vessels, shoreside terminaling and supply chain services from wind farm construction through decommissioning.

“This partnership will marry Crowley’s transferable engineering, vessel operations, project management and logistics experience in the U.S. offshore markets to Esvagt’s global SOV design and operations capabilities,” said Tom Crowley, Chairman and CEO. “This will enable the continued growth of sustainable, greener energy solutions by directly addressing the offshore wind service capacity challenge.”

Esvagt pioneered the SOV concept in Europe more than a decade ago and, with a fleet of 49 vessels, annually safely transfers more than 115,000 personnel members from SOVs to offshore wind farm installations.

“Esvagt looks forward to further cementing its position as an offshore wind market leader by entering the U.S. offshore wind market with Crowley, a strong partner with an established track record of delivering solutions to its customers,” said Esvagt CEO Peter Lytzen. “Esvagt’s experience in Europe will help deliver a seamless operation in the United States, and we also appreciate the opportunity to invest in the construction of these vessels in compliance with the Jones Act.”