Equinor Launches Service Operations Vessel for Empire Wind Project

Equinor has officially launched the Service Operations Vessel (SOV) ECO Liberty for deployment in its Empire Wind offshore wind project in New York. The vessel was christened on Saturday at a ceremony on the Mississippi River at the Port of New Orleans, with Louisiana First Lady Sharon Landry serving as the vessel’s “Godmother.”

Built by Edison Chouest Offshore, the American-made ECO Liberty represents a significant investment in U.S. shipbuilding, with more than 500 Louisiana workers contributing to its construction. The vessel was built with American steel and includes components from companies across multiple Gulf Coast states.

The plug-in hybrid service vessel will be the first in the United States’ offshore wind sector capable of sailing partly on battery power.

“The ECO Liberty showcases the positive impact Empire Wind is having on the American economy,” said Molly Morris, President of Equinor Renewables Americas. “This vessel reflects how offshore wind can create durable, high-quality jobs while building out a homegrown energy supply chain.”

The 262-foot hybrid-powered vessel will soon depart for New York, where it will be homeported at South Brooklyn Marine Terminal. There, it will join a major operation where more than 2,000 workers are constructing a next-generation staging facility for Empire Wind. The vessel will initially support ongoing marine construction and eventually house up to 60 workers when stationed offshore.

The ECO Liberty is one of seven new US-flagged vessels that will be added to the Jones Act compliant fleet because of the Empire Wind project.

The Empire Wind 1 project, valued at $5 billion and designed to power 500,000 New York homes by 2027, recently resumed construction after a temporary suspension by the Trump Administration. The Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management had previously issued a stop-work order as part of a broader halt on offshore wind development.

Located 15-30 miles southeast of Long Island and spanning 80,000 acres, the 810 MW offshore energy project is already creating thousands of jobs across the United States.