Crowley and ESVAGT Join Forces to Develop Jones Act-Compliant Offshore Wind Service Vessels

U.S.-based Crowley has partnered with Danish shipping company ESVAGT to develop Jones Act vessels to support the offshore wind industry in the United States.

The joint venture partnership will work develop a best-in-class design and deliver its first wind-dedicated, U.S-flag Service Operation Vessel (SOV) to directly address shortages of compliant vessel capacity in the nascent U.S. offshore wind sector.

Crowley will own and operate the vessels while ESVAGT, a leading SOV operator in Europe, will provide technical advice on the design, construction, and operation of these vessels. Both will share in the “economics” of the venture.

“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. This will enable the continued growth of sustainable, greener energy solutions by directly addressing the offshore wind service capacity challenge,” said Tom Crowley, Chairman and CEO. “Our organizations share cultures that are based around the core values of safety, integrity, and high performance. We look forward to a long and successful partnership in support of North America’s new energy solutions.”

Crowley in January formed its New Energy division focussed on supporting emerging energy sectors, such as offshore wind, in the U.S. and adjacent regions. Within the offshore wind industry, Crowley’s New Energy will focus service offerings including transportation of turbines during construction, industry-specific support vessels, shoreside terminaling, and supply chain services from farm construction through decommissioning.

ESVAGT has been in the offshore wind market for more than a decade and pioneered the SOV concept in Europe. Today it’s a leading provider of SOV services to the European Offshore Wind Operation and Maintenance markets and safely transfers more than 115,000 personnel annually 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.”