After Lengthy Legal Dispute, Seatrium Hands Over Next-Generation WTIV to Maersk

Singapore-based shipbuilder Seatrium Limited has delivered a next-generation Wind Turbine Installation Vessel (WTIV) to Maersk Offshore Wind, marking the completion of a project that only months ago was at the center of a high-stakes contractual dispute between the two companies.

The vessel was officially handed over on February 26, following sea trials and final readiness evaluations at Seatrium’s Tuas Boulevard Yard in Singapore. The delivery fulfills the terms of a settlement reached in December 2025, which ended arbitration proceedings between Seatrium and a Maersk affiliate over the nearly completed vessel.

Under the agreement, Maersk affiliate Phoenix II A/S agreed to take delivery and pay the remaining balance on the roughly $475 million project, reversing an earlier contract termination that had triggered legal action from both sides.

The vessel was originally ordered in March 2022 for deployment at the Empire Wind offshore wind project off New York. The project experienced regulatory turbulence in 2025 when the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management temporarily halted construction, though the stop-work order was later lifted.

Designed for Next-Generation Turbines

Custom-engineered to install some of the world’s largest offshore wind turbines, the WTIV features a 1,900-tonne main crane with a 180-meter hook height, allowing it to install 15-megawatt-class and larger turbines now being deployed in major offshore wind projects.

The vessel incorporates a feeder-based installation system designed to improve efficiency by allowing turbine components to be transferred from feeder vessels while offshore, extending installation windows even in more challenging sea states.

According to Seatrium, the configuration is also compatible with U.S. Jones Act installation strategies, enabling the WTIV to work with U.S.-flagged feeder vessels for projects in American waters.

“With this state-of-the-art WTIV, we are proud to support our partner Maersk Offshore Wind in advancing the progress of the end customer’s wind farm development,” said William Gu, Executive Vice President of Seatrium Energy (Marketing).

Deployment to Empire Wind

The vessel is scheduled to sail in March for its first assignment at the Empire Wind project offshore New York, where it will help install turbines expected to supply electricity to approximately 500,000 homes.

The project required an extensive construction program that included heavy-lift operations, integration of complex offshore installation systems, and validation by international classification societies.

Seatrium said the construction program was completed without any Lost Time Injuries, highlighting the company’s safety performance during the build.

Dispute Resolved

The delivery also closes the chapter on a dispute that erupted in October 2025, when Maersk issued a notice terminating the vessel contract, alleging breaches by the shipbuilder. Seatrium rejected the termination and initiated arbitration, arguing the cancellation was wrongful.

Both parties ultimately reached a settlement in December that restored the contract and allowed the vessel to be delivered.

As part of the agreement, $250 million of the remaining contract price was financed through a credit arrangement provided by Seatrium, secured by a mortgage on the vessel and backed by revenue from its future operations.

The completion of the project positions the vessel to join a limited global fleet of heavy-lift installation ships capable of deploying the newest generation of offshore wind turbines, as developers race to build larger projects in the United States and Europe.

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