After rejecting Maersk Offshore Wind’s notice of termination of a contract for the construction of a near-complete wind turbine installation vessel, Singapore shipyard group Seatrium was hit with a notice of arbitration.
Seatrium received the notice of termination for the $475m contract on October 9. Upon completion, the 98.9% completed vessel was set to be deployed on Equinor’s Empire Wind project in the US.
Maersk Offshore Wind awarded the contract to Sembcorp Marine Rigs & Floaters, now known as Seatrium Energy International, in March 2022.
On October 12, Seatrium rejected the termination notice and pointed out in its response that Maersk Offshore Wind was in repudiatory breach of the contract and that it “reserved all its rights against the buyer for wrongful termination”.
On October 20, Seatrium notified the Danish firm that it would deliver the vessel by January 30, 2026, in accordance with the contract.
Just one day after that, the Singapore shipbuilder received a notice of arbitration from Maersk Offshore Wind.
The notice of arbitration claims that disputes have arisen between the two parties, and that such disputes are to be referred to arbitration in London in accordance with the current London Maritime Arbitrators Association terms.
Seatrium stated that the notice did not contain any particulars of the alleged disputes, claims, or reliefs. The company added that it would “vigorously prosecute its position and defend any claims” that may be brought by Maersk Offshore Wind.
