Denmark’s Maersk Supply Service is teaming up with Edison Chouest Offshore on a new feeder concept to speed up wind turbine installations in the US.
The tug-barge system is specifically designed for MSS’ next-generation wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV).
Two tugs and two barges will be ordered for delivery in 2026 from Bollinger Shipyards in the US. They will be owned and operated by Louisiana-based ECO.
The units will ensure a steady transfer of turbine components at sea.
MSS said it has already invested in the US offshore wind market, and partnering ECO is a natural next step.
“MSS’ new installation concept can make offshore wind farm installations significantly faster with estimated efficiency gains of 30%,” said chief executive Christian M Ingerslev.
“The partnership with ECO makes this new technology available for the US offshore wind market, enabling faster offshore wind installations in the US.”
The idea is to allow the WTIV to stay on site as the feeders shuttle parts out to sea.
MSS has developed a locking and stabilising mechanism for the barge and WTIV, making operations less dependent on weather conditions.
Dino Chouest, executive vice president of ECO, said: “This partnership facilitates expansion of our existing footprint in the US offshore wind industry, and our decades of offshore experience, efficiency and focus on technology can play an important role in the further development of the US offshore wind segment.”
The specialised solution should open access to a greater number of US ports for offshore wind business, the partners believe.
The Danish owner of oil and gas support vessels moved into offshore wind in 2022 with an order for a WTIV at Sembcorp Marine in Singapore.
The unit, due in 2025, was immediately awarded an installation job at Equinor and BP’s Empire Wind I and II sites off New York in the “mid-2020s”.
This will be followed by work at the oil companies’ Beacon Wind project off Massachusetts from 2028.
