Maersk Offshore Wind’s Installation Vessel Completes Sea Trials
Maersk Offshore Wind and Seatrium reported that their under-construction massive offshore wind installation vessel has completed sea trials. The vessel’s delivery, however, is approaching as the future of the U.S. offshore wind industry for which it was designed remains uncertain.
Seatrium reports that the vessel, which is approximately 475 feet (145 meters) in length, successfully completed its trials in the South China Sea. Both Maersk Offshore Wind and the vessel’s classification society participated in the trials. They are continuing to work towards the agreed delivery of the vessel by the end of February.
The ship was designed with a coordinated feeder system using barges to transport materials from shore. The barges interlock with the installation vessel, making it possible for the ship to remain on site and speed installation times. The largest of the WTIV’s cranes will have a lifting capacity of 1,900 tonnes and the ability to reach up to 590 feet (180 meters) above the deck. Maersk has highlighted in the past that the vessel would be capable of handling the largest offshore wind turbines. It will have 100 cabins and a walk-to-work gangway. In late December, Seatrium had reported the vessel was approximately 99.8 percent completed.
The project appears to be back on track after a dispute between the customer and shipbuilder last fall. Citing problems with the construction, Maersk Offshore Wind had announced it was canceling the contract, and both companies invoked arbitration. The dispute was settled in December with Seatrium agreeing to finance $250 million of the $360 million contract price, giving Maersk Offshore Wind an interest-bearing credit arrangement good for up to 10 years. Seatrium will have a mortgage on the vessel as well as first priority rights, with the financing to be paid through the cash generated by the vessel.
The installation vessel is contracted to Equinor for the Empire Wind offshore project located south of New York’s Long Island. It is one of the five projects that were ordered in December by the Trump administration to stop offshore work. Equinor has filed suit seeking a preliminary injunction to resume offshore work, but the company has said in court filings that if work does not resume by January 16, “cascading effects” could result in the project’s cancellation. Heerema’s heavy-lift vessel Sleipnir is currently transporting the project’s topside and is scheduled to install it in late January. If that cannot proceed as scheduled, Equinor warns the topside might have to be sent to Europe, as it doubts a storage site and crane could be secured in the United States.
that matters most
Get the latest maritime news delivered to your inbox daily.
Maersk Offshore Wind has not commented on its outlook. The company was launched several years ago, shedding its oil service work to focus on wind energy. Owned by AP Moller Holdings, the company had emphasized the strong opportunities in the business. Its website says a second, XL conventional jack-up installation vessel was designed in collaboration with GustoMSC, but the vessel has not been reported as ordered,
The first WTIV was ordered in 2023 to be built at what is now Seatrium’s yard in Singapore for delivery to the United States by 2025. In 2024, they announced a partnership with Edison Chouest Offshore, saying the U.S. shipyard would build the tugs and barges for the installation system at the Bollinger Shipyards.