Morgan Stanley Investment Management, through Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners (MSIP), and US maritime, energy, and logistics solutions provider Crowley announced the creation of a new joint venture to advance offshore wind energy solutions for the United States. The joint venture will combine Crowley’s end-to-end maritime and logistics capabilities through the newly created Crowley Wind Services Holdings LLC (Crowley Wind Services Holdings), and the financial strength and expertise of MSIP. Investment funds managed by MSIP, a private infrastructure fund platform within MSIM, will hold a majority stake in Crowley Wind Services Holdings, while Crowley will operate the business.
MSIP and Crowley’s partnership will focus on repurposing and operating existing US port facilities and leasing them under long-term contracts to offshore wind developers. The terminals will support manufacturing, assembly, and storage of wind farm components as well as provide developers with maritime services such as Jones Act-compliant feedering vessels to transport components from ports to offshore wind installations.
“In our view, the US offshore wind industry is in its early stages with ambitious goals to develop 30 GW of capacity from offshore wind by 2030 and unlock a pathway to 110 GW by 2050,” said Daniel Sailors, managing director of MSIP. “We believe port infrastructure is essential to the buildout and long-term maintenance of offshore wind projects and we are excited to partner with Crowley to provide the foundational infrastructure that will enable the development of this important industry.”
Crowley provides wind energy solutions for the US offshore wind industry, including port operations and terminaling, feedering vessels and operations, and project management. Through a public-private partnership with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Clean Energy Center and the City of Salem, Massachusetts, Crowley plans to begin construction this fall on the Salem Wind Services Terminal, which will support the development and operation of offshore wind lease areas off the northeast US coast. In addition, the company is pursuing the development of a US West Coast terminal in Eureka, California, in a public-private partnership. Crowley also has a right-of-first refusal agreement to lease and potentially develop a wind services terminal at Port Fourchon, Louisiana.
“The partnership of our two companies will help lead the growth of the wind energy sector and provide clean, renewable energy for the United States through high-quality maritime and logistics operations and services. Our collaboration will help create not just more value as a business, but cleaner, more sustainable energy for our communities,” said Bob Karl, senior vice president and general manager of Crowley Wind Services Holdings.
Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank served as financial advisor to MSIP, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as its legal counsel. DNB Markets served as financial advisor to Crowley, and Vinson & Elkins LLP served as the company’s legal counsel.
