Fincantieri said it won the contract to build of a US-flag service operation vessel (SOV) for Crowley and Esvagt.

The two companies signed a contract on Tuesday that will see US-based Crowley manage and crew the ship. Denmark’s Esvagt will support Crowley with design, construction, crew training and operation under their Crest Wind joint venture. When they announced the deal, they did not disclose the name of the builder.

On Wednesday, Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri announced that it had penned a deal with the joint venture to build the SOV.

Fincantieri said it will construct the 88-metre ship at its Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in the US state of Wisconsin and will go into service in 2026.

The vessel, which will go into service in 2026, will service the Dominion Energy Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project in the US under a long-term charter.

SOVs are purpose-built vessels used to transport technicians to service and monitor operation of wind turbines at sea.

Crowley’s other offshore wind initiatives include plans to develop facilities in Massachusetts and California to support wind farm construction.

Fincantieri has constructed nine other support vessels for the offshore wind sector.

“This order confirms Fincantieri as a prime mover in the sector of offshore wind support vessels, which will attract huge investments in the coming years,” Fincantieri chief executive Pierroberto Folgiero said in a statement.

“As stated in our business plan, the push for decarbonisation will further strengthen our industrial competitive positioning and distinctiveness of our business model.”