US offshore wind vessel orders accelerate at a crawl as shipyards struggle

The number of service operation vessels on order at US shipyards to serve the nation’s offshore wind sector has surged by 50% over the past year.

That sounds like a big jump, but it means that where there were two SOV newbuildings under construction this time last year, there are now three, according to data from shipbroking giant Clarksons.

A variety of factors, including rising newbuilding prices, shipyard labour shortages and an offshore wind farm project pipeline that has continued to slide, has led to delays in pondering these ships and others to serve this burgeoning market, which has been seen as a major opportunity for the US shipbuilding sector, experts in the market told TradeWinds.