MSS lines up more work for new WIV
Maersk Supply Service (MSS) has been awarded a preferred supplier agreement by an Equinor/bp joint venture for its wind installation vessel (WIV), ordered at Sembcorp Marine in March.
The offshore wind partners have already taken the WIV for installation work at the 816-MW Empire Wind facility off Long Island, United States, upon its delivery from the Singapore shipyard, expected in 2025. This will now be followed directly by a deployment at 1.2-GW Beacon Wind, likely from 2028.
Chief commercial officer at MSS, Jonas Munch Agerskov, commented: “With this new agreement, we have secured a stable start for our new Wind Installation Vessel. We are very pleased that Equinor and bp have shown us the trust to extend the award and look forward to future collaboration.”
The WIV, designed in-house and patented by MSS, will operate with feeders supplying key components. These tugs and barges will be provided by Kirby Offshore Wind, a subsidiary of Kirby Corporation, and will be built and operated in the United States in compliance with the Jones Act.
The WIV itself will remain on location for the duration of the installation work, with a marked improvement in efficiency of more than 30% compared with conventional jack-up vessels, MSS said. The arrangement is less weather-dependent, enabling wind farm installation work to continue year round thereby reducing the levelised cost of offshore wind.
