Maersk’s WTIV Delivered, Ready for Empire Wind

Seatrium handed over the Maersk wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) to its owner on 26 February, the Singapore-based shipbuilder said. The new WTIV is scheduled to sail for its first assignment at the Empire Wind project offshore New York in March 2026.

The WTIV recently completed sea trials in the South China Sea and final readiness evaluations at Seatrium’s Tuas Boulevard Yard in Singapore.

The new vessel is part of Maersk Offshore Wind’s feeder solution, whereby the WTIV remains at a project site to carry out installations, while feeder vessels ferry the wind turbine components out to the site. The Jones Act-approved feeder concept is projected to reduce the number of days required to install an offshore wind farm by 30 per cent, according to Maersk Offshore Wind.

Equinor-owned Empire Offshore Wind signed a charter agreement for the vessel in 2022, securing it for the offshore wind farm that is now under construction in the US. The WTIV, together with US-built barges and tugs built and operated by Kirby Offshore Wind, will be used for the installation of the Vestas 15 MW turbines on Empire Wind 1, the companies said in 2022.

The 145-metre-long WTIV is equipped with a 1,900-tonne main crane that has a 180-metre hook height, which can support the installation of 15 MW-class turbines and beyond.

The vessel was recently at the centre of a dispute between the vessel’s shipbuilder and its owner as Maersk terminated the USD 475 million (approximately EUR 409 million) shipbuilding contract with Seatrium in October 2025, after which both companies launched arbitration proceedings.

The companies settled their dispute in December, with Maersk agreeing to accept the delivery of the WTIV this year.