The United States maritime market provides enormous potential for international companies. C-Job Naval Architects has been exploring these opportunities for a number of years and last year opened its Houston office to solidify its intentions of securing a foothold in the American Market. Now the ship design company has joined forces with other companies in the Netherlands active in the industry to enter the American offshore wind market.
Investing in US offshore wind
The Dutch businesses and one knowledge institute are combining forces via a Partners for International Business (PIB) covenant. Coordinated by Holland Home of Wind Energy (HHWE), the PIB has the support of the Dutch Government and focuses on the exchange of knowledge, network building and positioning the Dutch industry in the northeast of the United States of America. The partnership will build on the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Foreign Trade and Development and the US Department of Interior – Bureau of Ocean Energy Management which came into effect in April last year.
The United States is ambitious when it comes to their offshore wind sector which offers an abundance of opportunities for the Netherlands. Job Volwater, Commercial Director at C-Job explains “In the US, there are currently five wind turbines with a combined capacity of 30 megawatt. In the coming years, they are looking expand the offshore wind capacity off the east coast by approximately 25 gigawatt.
“This enormous increase provides huge potential to the maritime industry and requires knowledgeable partners. If you then consider the Dutch offshore wind industry which has great experience in large-scale projects, it makes sense to work together to share our expertise to assist the American market.”
This echoes the intention of the MOU between the two countries which aims to share knowledge, experiences, and best practices within the offshore wind sector. Topics include policy exchange, risk management, environmental and ecological impact of offshore wind parks, stakeholder management and cost reduction.
Establishing connections
The PIB will run for a minimum of three years and aims to:
Increase awareness of and exposure for the Dutch offshore wind sector in US markets by organizing promotional events
Establish connections that have the potential to expand business relationships between the Dutch and US sectors
Support the exchange of knowledge on a high level
Job says “Of course, the present situation in light of the coronavirus means that we’re starting our partnership perhaps somewhat differently than first envisioned. Fortunately, the digital age we’re in allows for creative solutions to ensure we can make this a fruitful partnership for local enterprises within the USA.”
Signatories of the Partners for International Businesses covenant:
Boskalis
Bureau Waardenburg
Cape Holland
C-Job Naval Architects
GustoMSC
Pondera
Royal IHC
Sif Group
SPT Offshore
Trelleborg Ridderkerk
Ulstein Design & Solutions BV
