Bernhard Schulte Offshore GmbH (BSO) and MidOcean Wind (MOW) have entered into a joint venture to build and operate support vessels for the US offshore wind industry as well as explore opportunities in other sectors of U.S. merchant shipping.
Signed during the AWEA Offshore WINDPOWER 2019 Conference in Boston, the Connecticut-based joint venture signals a new chapter of cooperation between BSO and MOW, which began in late 2018 when the parties partnered in WINDEA Offshore US to provide a single point of contact for offshore wind customers in the US.
Volckert van Reesema, co-founder and principal of MOW, said, "We have been following the successes of the Schulte Group for some time now and recognize they share the same business values and focus on long-term partnerships. Their experience in the operation of offshore wind vessels is needed to support this upcoming new industry in the US."
Matthias Müller, Managing Director of BSO, said, "The Schulte Group has a track record of more than 550 new-building projects around the globe and MidOcean is a specialist at building vessels of various types under the local regulations in several U.S. shipyards. Since the on-time delivery of a vessel to our charterers is critical, we are the ideal partners to support the U.S. offshore wind industry with specialized units."
Bradley Neuberth of MOW, said, "Wind farm owners and turbine manufacturers will be able to reduce their risks by working with our team. MidOcean will ensure the vessels will be Jones Act compliant and delivered as agreed. Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement as the operator of the ships will bring the learnings of the European wind farm projects into the US market. We have been working closely with the Schulte Group for more than a year and the time is right to formalize our partnership on offshore wind vessels.”