Kirby partners with Maersk on offshore wind

Maersk has been selected by Empire Offshore Wind, a joint venture between Equinor and bp, as the installation contractor for the project off the coast of New York. Kirby’s contract with Maersk represents a 20-year framework agreement with the Empire Wind projects being the first.

Kirby Offshore Wind will provide the Jones Act compliant feeder barges and tugboats which will transport the wind towers and turbines from the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal to a specialized Maersk wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV).

Kirby will be investing in two new ABS-classed feeder barge and diesel-electric hybrid tugboat units which will be constructed in U.S. shipyards for a total combined cost of between $80 million to $100 million.

Each feeder barge will have the capacity to transport turbines of at least 15MW. The capital investment for the new vessels will be incurred through progress payments over the 2023 to 2025 timeframe. Kirby’s offshore marine facility in Staten Island, New York, as well as its marine headquarters in Houston, Texas, will be the base of operations for the company’s offshore wind activities.

Maersk’s wind turbine installation vessel is the first of its kind and will set a new standard for the efficiency of windfarm installations said Jonas Munch Agerskov, Chief Commercial Officer at Maersk Supply Service. “The efficiency gains are made possible as the installation vessel can stay on location at the wind farm, while only the tugs and barges transport equipment to and from the port.” 

The Motorship previously reported on the BargeRack solution that eliminated the requirement for expensive motion compensation equipment on the barge. 

The WTIV will be built in Singapore by SembCorp Marine, with the steel-cutting ceremony set for Q4 2022. The jacking units, load transfer system and crane will be provided by NOV. The vessel is Maersk Supply Service’s first newbuild investment dedicated entirely to the offshore wind industry.

Kirby and Maersk expect wind turbine installations and the associated feeder barge services to commence beginning in late 2025 or early 2026 once the construction of Maersk’s new WTIV is completed.

David Grzebinski, Kirby’s President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “Kirby’s participation in this renewable energy space will not only grow company earnings and returns, but will also greatly enhance our ESG product and service offerings in the coming years. Our commitment to build two next-generation feeder barges and emissions friendly diesel-electric hybrid tugboats, which could have the ability to substitute diesel for alternative fuels, is not only important for Kirby’s ESG journey, but also for the US maritime sector.”