STURGEON BAY, WIS. – Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding began construction yesterday on a 289-foot service operation vessel (SOV) for a Crowley-ESVAGT joint venture that will house and transport technicians to maintain U.S. offshore wind farms.
This vessel, for the joint venture CREST Wind, will operate under a long-term charter with Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. Today marked the ceremonial start of construction for the vessel, and senior leaders from the partner companies around the country came to Door County to witness the first pieces of steel being cut and welded.
“We are excited to get started on this important vessel,” said Marco Galbiati, CEO of Fincantieri Marine Group. “The work that this vessel will support is critical to energy solutions here in the United States.”
“This vessel will support America’s goals of cleaner, renewable energy by providing an innovative, reliable and safe environment for those servicing the wind turbines off the U.S. coast,” said Bob Karl, senior vice president and general manager of Crowley Wind Services. “We congratulate the women and men who led us to this milestone for this modern, high performing vessel that will help support next-generation energy solutions.”
SOVs are purpose-built vessels used to accommodate and transport wind-farm technicians to service and maintain wind turbines at sea. Crowley is an innovative U.S. maritime, energy and logistics solution company serving the offshore wind market, while Denmark-based ESVAGT is the leading provider of SOV services in Europe.
“We are delighted to help bring a leading SOV concept to the US market together with our partners and are looking forward to supporting the high-quality construction of this innovative vessel.” said Kristian O. Jakobsen, ESVAGT’s deputy CEO and head of operations.
The SOV will feature state-of the art technologies to augment safety, workability and comfort to support the operation and maintenance of wind installations. It will have modern accommodations for 80 crew and technicians. Consistent with federal law, the vessel will be U.S.- built and flagged. The ship will utilize the HAV 832 SOV design, made by HAV Design AS, of Norway, and it is considered one of the best in the industry.
The vessel is scheduled to enter service in 2026, when it will support the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project.
Rendering of the future Service Operation Vessel designed by HAV Design AS.
Images from the steel-cutting ceremony, Sep. 20, 2023, at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, Sturgeon Bay, Wis. High res versions with captions can be downloaded at https://flic.kr/p/2p4qAdp.
Fincantieri, one of the world’s largest and most diversified maritime companies, employs more than 21,000 shipbuilding professionals in 18 shipyards on four continents. Fincantieri operates in the United States through its subsidiary Fincantieri Marine Group. This company, which serves commercial and government customers, including the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, has three shipyards (Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding and Fincantieri ACE Marine) located in Wisconsin on the Great Lakes.
Crowley is a privately held, U.S.-owned and -operated maritime, energy and logistics solutions company serving commercial and government sectors with $3.4 billion in annual revenues, over 170 vessels mostly in the Jones Act fleet and approximately 7,000 employees around the world – employing more U.S. mariners than any other company. The Crowley enterprise has invested more than $3.2 billion in maritime transport, which is the backbone of global trade and the global economy. As a global ship owner-operator and services provider with more than 130 years of innovation and a commitment to sustainability, the company serves customers in 36 nations and island territories through five business units: Crowley Logistics, Crowley Shipping, Crowley Government Solutions, Crowley Wind Services and Crowley Fuels. Additional information about Crowley, its business units and subsidiaries can be found at www.crowley.com.
ESVAGT is a dedicated provider of safety and support services for the offshore energy industry. ESVAGT was founded in 1981, and has a fleet of more than 40 vessels and approximately 1200 employees offshore and onshore. ESVAGT pioneered the SOV concept with its clients in 2010 and is today the largest operator of state-of-the-art SOVs and associated services – a backbone for the offshore wind industry. ESVAGT continues to develop the most innovative, safe, and efficient solutions and is a committed enabler of the green transition. Additional information about ESVAGT, its business units and subsidiaries here: www.esvagt.com.
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