Offshore Wind News

Equinor’s Empire Wind 1 project in the United States has now secured a project financing package of over $3 billion, reaching a financial close at the end of December 2024.The expected total capital investments, including fees for the use of the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT), are approximately $5 billion including the effect of expected future tax credits (ITCs).The Empire Wind lease was awarded to Equinor in 2017. It is being developed in two phases, Empire Wind 1, with a contracted capacity of 810 MW…

Vard has delivered a new cable laying vessel (CLV) to Denmark’s subsea specialist NCT Offshore less than two years after the contract was signed.The newly delivered vessel, based on the VARD 9 01 design, has been specially designed and equipped for subsea cable laying operations.In less than 18 months since the first steel was cut, the vessel has been assembled, outfitted, commissioned, and is ready to commence her maiden voyage towards Denmark where she will be further fitted and tested…

Belgium-based offshore installation contractor Jan De Nul, in partnership with Greek cable maker Hellenic Cables, has entered into a framework agreement to supply and install export cables for two 750 MW floating wind farms off the coast of Southern Brittany in France.The agreement was signed with France's transmission system operator RTE, which is developing an offshore power grid to connect future wind farms.Jan De Nul will install the cables that transport the renewable energy…

The Interior Department has now approved more than 19 gigawatts of offshore wind energy.The Biden-Harris administration today announced the approval of the SouthCoast Wind Project – the nation’s 11th commercial-scale offshore wind energy project approved under President Biden’s leadership. With today’s approval, the Department and its Bureau of Ocean Energy Management have approved over 19 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy from offshore wind energy projects – enough to power more…

KENC Engineering has secured multiple contract awards from an unnamed transport and installation (T&I) contractor to provide engineering work for a jack-up vessel set for operations at U.K. offshore wind farm.KENC’s scope of work includes the design and engineering of a hose reel platform that houses the HPU (hydraulic power unit), a hose saddle, a control cabin work frame and a gangway platform. The challenge was to come up with custommade solutions that were light, stable and strong to fit the deck requirements of the jack-up vessel.Engineering is already well underway…

With four commissioning service operation vessels (CSOVs) currently under construction, German shipowner Windward Offshore has formed strategic partnerships with major industry suppliers such as Ampelmann, MAN Energy Solutions, and others, to ensure safe and high-quality delivery of the vessels.The CSOVS, two being built in Norway and two in Vietnam, are part of the contracts Windward Offshore signed with Vard for the design and construction of two hybrid CSOVs, which was later expanded to four vessels.The first vessel is scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2025…

Japan-based Penta-Ocean Construction has signed a shipbuilding contract with PaxOcean Group for the construction of a self-propelled large-scale cable laying vessel (CLV), expanding its capabilities from offshore wind turbine construction to power cable laying for the industry.The new CLV will be self-propelled, mounted with two 5,000 t cable carousels (a total of 10,000 t) also known as cable storage, enabling safe and efficient cable laying in the open sea with severe metocean conditions.Equipped with a latest trencher (for burying cables) and work class ROV…

Seaway7, part of Subsea7 Group, has secured a contract for the transport and installation of pin-pile jacket foundations and transition pieces for the 1.1 GW Inch Cape offshore wind farm in Scotland.The contract, valued between $150 million and $300 million, has been awarded to Seaway7 by Cape Offshore Limited, a joint venture between ESB and Red Rock Renewables.The 1.1GW Inch Cape project offshore site is located in the Scottish North Sea, 15 kilometers off the Angus coast, and will comprise 72 wind turbine generators.The turbines of the V236-15.0 MW type…

Tugdock has reached a significant milestone as its Tugdock Submersible Platform (TSP) is awarded the prestigious ‘Statement of Feasibility’ from DNV, the world’s leading  independent energy expert and assurance provider.This endorsement recognizes the TSP as a transformative technology with applications across multiple markets, including floating offshore wind, vessel drydocking and decommissioning.The TSP is a pinned, open steel-frame that uses the company’s patented vertical air buoyancy cylinders.

The Australian Government has declared a new offshore wind zone in Bass Strait, north of Tasmania.Tasmania has some of the best wind resources in the world. Bass Strait has been named as one of the top options for offshore wind energy generation in the country by the Australian Energy Market Operator.The new zone could support up to 20GW of renewable energy – more than half of the current electricity demand across southeast Australia. One rotation of a single offshore wind turbine…

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced today that it is issuing a Determination of Competitive Interest in two Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) in the Gulf of Mexico. The determination comes after an unsolicited request from Hecate Energy Gulf Wind LLC expressing interest in acquiring a commercial wind energy lease for WEA options C and D. On July 29, 2024, BOEM published a Request for Competitive Interest (RFCI) in the Federal Register seeking feedback on Hecate’s unsolicited lease request. Invenergy GOM Offshore Wind LLC expressed interest in WEA options C and D.

Dogger Bank Offshore Wind Farm, a joint venture partnership between SSE Renewables, Equinor, and Vårgrønn, has signed a vessel reservation agreement with Seaway7 to support the construction of the offshore wind farm being built in the U.K. North Sea.The contract represents additional work for Seaway7 at the Dogger Bank offshore wind development, where it is currently installing monopile foundations and transition pieces.The value of the agreement is between $150 million and $300 million…

Tugdock and Sarens have secured funding from Crown Estate’s Supply Chain Accelerator for a joint project to develop a heavy lift operations and maintenance (O&M) hub at ABP’s port of Port Talbot in Wales to support floating wind projects in the region.With key support from major industry players such as ABP and RWE, and other partnerships, the vision for the facility is to provide support for heavy lift equipment used in floating offshore wind projects in the Celtic Sea.Port Talbot's strategic location near the Celtic Sea makes it an optimal hub for supporting floating offshore wind projects…

RWE and TotalEnergies have selected the port of Eemshaven in the northern Dutch province of Groningen as the base for turbine assembly and construction work for their joint offshore wind project OranjeWind in the Dutch North Sea.The OranjeWind joint venture has signed an agreement with Buss Terminal Eemshaven, with the pre-assembly and offshore construction of turbines to be carried out in 2027.Construction activities at the offshore wind site will start in early 2026. Buss Terminal Eemshaven will facilitate the offloading…

Iberdrola has received a production license from the Portuguese Directorate-General for Energy and Geology of Portugal (DGEG), taking another step towards the construction of the largest wind farm in Portugal.Located in the districts of Vila Real and Braga, in northern Portugal, with a total investment of around €350 million, this project reinforces Iberdrola's commitment to environmental goals, being the first to combine wind and hydro energy. This implies sharing of the connection point and the evacuation line of electricity produced…

The first jacket foundation for the substation of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project has departed from the Danish Port of Esbjerg and is on its way to the United States to be installed at the country’s largest offshore wind farm.The first of three offshore jacket foundations, standing 60-meter-tall and weighing approximately 2,445.6 tonnes, has been shipped from the production site at the Port of Esbjerg where it was manufactured.The jacket foundation will serve…

Shell is stepping back from new offshore wind investments and is splitting its power division following an extensive review of the business that was once seen as a key driver of the company's energy transition strategy.The changes are part of a company-wide review launched in 2023 aimed at reducing costs as CEO Wael Sawan focuses on activities with the highest returns. In many cases that has meant reducing spending on low-carbon and renewable businesses and increasing the focus on oil…

Norwegian offshore wind vessel owner Edda Wind has launched its Vard-built Commissioning Service Operation Vessel (CSOV) in Vietnam, which will be put to its maiden job at offshore wind project in Taiwan following delivery scheduled for 2025.The vessel, NB967, was launched from a floating dock on December 1, 2024, ensuring the process was controlled and slow.Prior to the launch, the yard held a ceremony in accordance with the traditional Vietnamese blessing of the vessel.The vessel…

Norwegian shipbuilder Vard, part of Fincantieri Group, has secured Lloyd’s Register’s Approval in Principle (AiP) of the methanol fueling system for two offshore wind Commissioning Service Operation Vessels (CSOVs) being built for North Star.With the AiP, the two ships will be amongst the first prepared for conversion to green fuels in the wind market.The CSOVs are of VARD 422 design and are tailor-made for the UK’s infrastructure support vessel operator North Star, with new methanol ready hybrid-propulsion solutions.VARD 4 22 is Vard’s first methanol ready project…

American Offshore Services (A-O-S) has taken delivery of a hybrid-ready ready Crew Transfer Vessel (CTV), the third G-Class vessel for the company in 2024, which will support the development of offshore wind industry on the United States’ East Coast.The vessel, named M/V Guarder, has been designed and developed in partnership with Northern Offshore Services (N-O-S) to transfer technicians and equipment to the rapidly expanding offshore wind industry, a service crucial for constructing and maintaining wind energy infrastructure.As a ‘future-proof’ platform…

Marine construction contractor Red7Marine has supported subsea solutions specialist N-Sea Group in a critical export cable repair project for the 576 MW Gwynt y Môr offshore wind farm in the Irish Sea.With complete delivery of two jack-up barges, supporting tugs, a 220t telescopic crawler crane, accommodation and catering service, Red7Marine’s end-to-end package enabled N-Sea to focus on its project goals of completing the repair project.N-Sea Group was contracted by an Offshore…

DEME has been awarded a contract, worth up to $52 million, for the construction of an offshore wind terminal in the Port of Cuxhaven in Germany.The terminal will boost Cuxhaven’s position as a key offshore industrial hub to support the handling of heavy-duty loads, particularly components for offshore wind farms.Operated by Niedersachsen Ports (NPorts), the expanded offshore wind terminal will consist of three (5-7) berths and 1,250 metres of quay wall for heavy loads, as well as a storage area of 38 hectare.As part of a consortium…

Singapore-based shipbuilder Strategic Marine has signed a contract with South Korea’s Yeosu Ocean for the construction of a StratCat 27 crew transfer vessel (CTV) for the country’s growing offshore wind market.Designed by Strategic Marine’s partner BMT, the CTV is capable of incorporating multiple propulsion and engine options, coupled with a larger asymmetric superstructure ensuring ample interior space for a large range of operational requirements.The hybrid-ready designed vessel will be tailored for Korean water conditions…