Fincantieri, through its US subsidiary Fincantieri Marine Group, has signed a contract with CREST Wind, a joint venture between Crowley and ESVAGT, to design and build a service operation vessel (SOV).
The 88-metre vessel will be built by Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding at its shipyard in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, under a contract with an undisclosed value.
HAV Design AS, a leading designer of SOVs in Norway, designed this specific vessel.
The Jones Act-compliant ship will go into service in 2026 on a long-term charter deal with Siemens Gamesa, providing services for Dominion Energy’s 2.6 GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project in the US.
Dominion Energy plans to construct 176 14.7 MW Siemens Gamesa wind turbines and three offshore substations, generating enough clean, renewable energy to power up to 660,000 homes. It would avoid five million tons per year of carbon emissions compared with fossil fuel usage for power.
“The SOV for CREST Wind will bring the latest innovations and performance capabilities to support the emerging clean energy sector in the U.S. — combining ESVAGT European designs and operating practices with Crowley’s safety and operational expertise of the premier U.S. vessel operator”, said Bob Karl , senior vice president, and general manager for Crowley Wind Services.
When it comes to Fincantieri, the company already has ten construction service operations vessels (CSOVs) or SOV orders in its portfolio, along with two cable-layers.
The Italian shipbuilding group said it would look to seize further opportunities resulting from the increase in the total installed capacity expected by 2030 and in the additional need for vessels.
“ This order places Fincantieri confirms as a prime mover in the sector of offshore wind support vessels, which will attract huge investments in the coming years “, said Pierroberto Folgiero , CEO of Fincantieri.
“ As stated in our business plan, the push for decarbonization will further strengthen our industrial competitive positioning and distinctiveness of our business model. At the same time, it will stem synergies across the whole core business to enhance the competences of our Group ”.