Crowley, a company that provides worldwide logistics, government, marine and energy solutions, and ESVAGT, a Danish shipping company, have formed a joint venture to directly bolster purpose-built, Jones Act vessel availability in support of the emerging offshore wind energy market.
The partnership will bring together two maritime solutions providers to serve the emerging industry. Consistent with the requirements of the U.S. Jones Act, 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 will provide technical advice on the design, construction and operation of these vessels based solidly on their past performance with this specific vessel type.
“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,” says Tom Crowley, chairman and CEO of Crowley. “This will enable the continued growth of sustainable, greener energy solutions by directly addressing the offshore wind service capacity challenge. Our organizations share cultures that are based around the core values of safety, integrity and performance. We look forward to a long and successful partnership in support of North America’s new energy solutions.”
The venture will work to develop a best-in-class design and deliver its first wind-dedicated, U.S flag service operation vessel (SOV). The companies, which share a long history of safe and reliable solutions within their respective markets, are now positioning to advance wind farm development by directly addressing shortages of compliant vessel capacity.
Earlier this year, Crowley formed its New Energy division strategically focused on diverse 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 farm construction through decommissioning.
