Crowley Announces Offshore Wind Energy Partnership with Watco

U.S.-based Crowley has announced a partnership with transportation services specialist Watco to create a single-source terminal and supply chain management system to support the growing number of offshore wind projects planned for the U.S. East Coast.

“This partnership will provide turnkey services for the offshore wind industry in the area of terminal management,” said Lynda Patterson, senior vice president of Logistics at Watco. “Crowley and Watco will work together to leverage our respective expertise in logistics, project management, and energy support to create innovative solutions to meet full lifecycle project needs. “

Watco owns and operates a network of short line railroads, terminals, ports, and mechanical shops, giving its customers single-point access to just about any form of transportation. The company’s Green Port Industrial Terminals on the Houston Ship Channel is equipped to handle oversized offshore wind components and distribute them to projects across the country.

Crowley says it will provide its offshore logistics expertise through the utilization of its Jones Act-compliant fleet, engineering services and cross-over expertise in oil and gas, a sector it has operated in for more than 50 years. This will include the design and operation of service operation vessels (SOVs), crew transfer vessels (CTVs), turbine maintenance, offshore substation repair and maintenance, and additional services necessary to sustain offshore wind energy operations, according to Crowley.

The partnership comes after Crowley launched a New Energy division within its Crowley Shipping business unit to focus on the emerging offshore wind industry in the U.S. and LNG services. In launching the new division, Crowley said it seeks to become an offshore wind total lifecycle service provider, including transportation of turbines during construction, designs for industry-specific support vessels, shoreside terminaling, and supply chain services from farm construction through decommissioning.

“Crowley and Watco are partnering to deliver safe, reliable, comprehensive lifecycle services for the offshore wind sector,” said Jeff Andreini, vice president, New Energy division, Crowley. “We understand that wind power companies entering the U.S. market have big needs, including infrastructure and supply chain. We’ve engineered high performing equipment and logistics offerings to answer their needs, anchored by decades of experience to solve the challenges of both.”

According to the American Clean Power Association, developers are expected to bring thirteen offshore wind projects online by 2026, delivering 9,100 MW of offshore wind power generation. It also estimates that offshore wind could create 83,000 well-paying jobs by 2030.