Maersk Offshore Wind cancels near-complete wind turbine installation vessel

The innovative wind turbine installation vessel is 98.9% complete. It was ordered by Maersk Offshore Wind from Sembcorp Marine business unit Sembcorp Marine Rigs & Floaters Ptd Ltd, now known as Seatrium Energy (International) Pte Ltd (SEI), in March 2022.

The contract for the construction of the wind turbine installation vessel was placed by Maersk Offshore Wind, through an affiliate, for deployment on the Empire Wind 1 offshore windfarm, which the Trump administration recently tried to halt.

Seatrium said the contract has a total value of approximately US$475M. It received a notice of termination under the contract on 9 October 2025.

SEI said it will explore viable solutions, including with the end-customer, Empire Offshore Wind LLC. It is reviewing the validity of the notice of termination, as well as the ‘allegations’ set out therein.

SEI is also evaluating its legal and commercial options in respect of the contract, including the right to contest the notice of termination, and/or to commence legal proceedings to seek all available remedies for wrongful termination.

The company said it will make appropriate announcements in the event of any material developments. Shareholders were advised to exercise caution when dealing with the shares or other securities of the group.

In May 2025, Empire Offshore Wind LLC, a subsidiary of Equinor, was informed by the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management that the stop work order had been lifted, allowing construction activities to resume.

Equinor said it would undertake an updated assessment of the project economics in the second quarter. It said Empire Offshore Wind aimed to be able to execute planned activities in the offshore installation window in 2025 and reach its planned commercial operation date in 2027 and would engage with suppliers and regulatory bodies to reduce the impact of the stop work order.

Foundation installation for Empire Wind 1 began in June 2025 and was due to place into autumn 2025. Additional work in 2025 was due to include installing cables in the lease area and an export cable that will deliver the power to New York. Wind turbine installation was due to begin in early 2026.

Maersk Offshore Wind has yet to comment about the notice of termination or its reasons for cancelling the contract.