Crowley, through a joint venture with ESVAGT, a European leader in maritime wind farm services, is building a U.S. flagged Service Operations Vessel (SOV), bringing new jobs in a new market for members of American Maritime Officers.
The SOV will serve the emerging offshore wind farm market on the East Coast and house offshore wind turbine technicians as well as safely transport technician crews to wind turbines for planned and unplanned maintenance and repairs.
AMO is the first officers’ union in the U.S. contracted to crew an offshore wind farm vessel.
“American Maritime Officers welcomes the opportunity to expand our job footprint with our partner, Crowley. As U.S. participation in the wind farm space grows, AMO looks forward to providing qualified officers through our Global Wind Organization training facility at STAR Center to our wind farm-affiliated contracted companies,” AMO National President Willie Barrere said. “I’m excited our members get a chance to display their expertise and professionalism in yet another aspect of the maritime industry.”
Crowley and AMO entered into a long-term agreement to man the new vessel with licensed officers. Since the SOV will operate close to the coast, licensed officers are expected to have short rotation schedules.
The joint venture between Crowley and ESVAGT is called CREST. The SOV is currently under construction at Fincantieri in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Once complete, the vessel is scheduled for sea trials in early 2026 with operations set to begin later that year.
“We are excited to partner with AMO to crew and operate the CREST SOV, which will provide more career opportunities for U.S. mariners,” said Ira Douglas, Crowley’s vice president, labor relations. “The service operation vessel will continue our shared commitment to advance investment in new maritime technology and vessels that provides jobs and economic security for American seafarers and the overall nation.”
The CREST SOV is currently under construction in Wisconsin.