Bernhard Schulte Offshore GmbH (“BSO”) and MidOcean Wind LLC (“MOW”) have entered into a joint venture to build and operate support vessels for the U.S. 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, Massachusetts, the Connecticut-based joint venture signals a new chapter of cooperation between BSO and MOW, which began in late 2018 when the two 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, pointed out: “We have been following the successes of the Schulte Group for some time now and recognise 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 U.S.”

Matthias Müller, Managing Director of BSO explained: ” 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 specialised units.”

Bradley Neuberth of MOW summarised: “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 U.S. market.  We have been working closely with the Schulte Group for more than a year and the time is right to formalise our partnership on offshore wind vessels.”

MidOcean Wind (MOW) is a subsidiary of MidOcean Marine, a privately-owned company specializing in niche U.S. Flag maritime projects. Specifically, MidOcean Marine builds and positions assets for underserved and unmet market needs, frequently with an environmentally conscious approach as evidenced by affiliate company Clean Marine Energy. MidOcean has owned 20+ ships and has 35+ years experience operating U.S. vessels and is a U.S. Jones Act compliant ship owner.

MOW and BSO have been linked since the late 2018 formation of WINDEA Offshore USA.  Designed to act as a single point of contact for offshore wind customers, WINDEA Offshore USA mirrors the efforts of the established German entity WINDEA Offshore.  WINDEA Offshore provides a full suite of services for construction support and O&M activities. WINDEA Offshore is a joint venture of three established and family-owned companies, Bernhard Schulte Offshore, Buss Offshore Solutions, and EMS Maritime Offshore