SEA.O.G and Crosby Tugs Merge, Introduce New Feeder Barge for US Offshore Wind

SEA.O.G Offshore, an integrated services provider to the offshore energy industry, and marine transportation provider Crosby Tugs have merged to serve the US offshore wind sector and, as part of their now joint plan, have announced bringing a new feeder barge concept to the market.

The companies, which merged as Crosby Tugs invested into SEA.OG, said they would focus on delivering installation support and operations and maintenance (O&M) services in the US offshore wind sector by combining SEA.O.G’s services with Crosby’s assets and experience.

The Louisiana-based Crosby Tugs delivers offshore and inland marine towing, dredging, and rock placement services along the Gulf Coast region and beyond, and SEA.O.G, based in the state of Washington, has been supporting the onshore wind sector with offshore tug and barge operations, and also provides marine transport, subsea, logistics and compliance solutions.

The new combined fleet now has 130 inland and offshore towboats and a fleet of over 400 barges.

The partnership plans to bring a new and Jones Act-compliant feeder barge concept, called ADAPT, to the offshore wind market in the US.

According to SEA.O.G, ADAPT is a stable, semi-autonomous delivery and installation platform for wind turbine components, foundations, scour protection, and cable laying.

Information published earlier on the company’s website states that the ADAPT barge is able to deliver one complete 12-15 MW next generation wind turbine and can handle blade lengths up to 120 metres.

Furthermore, these barges allow access to a greater variety of port locations, thus creating factory to foundation opportunities and reducing risk and cost by allowing for avoiding shuttle operations between factory and pre-assembly ports, according to SEA.O.G.

“ADAPT barges can be used throughout several installation campaigns, installing monopiles, secondary structures, and using them for turbine installation, cable lay operations, or shuttle operations”, the company said about the concept last year.

By deploying an ADAPT barge on a project, a wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) can spend an estimated 40 per cent more time installing turbines, according to SEA.O.G. The company added that with this concept approximately 50 per cent of jack-up operations and contact with the seabed could be eliminated, compared to lift boats, creating a more environmentally friendly solution.