Easterly Clear Ocean (ECO), the maritime investment platform backed by Easterly Asset Management, has launched its fifth fund as it ramps up investments across dry bulk, tanker and offshore sectors.
The new fund, ECO Fleet Holdings V, is targeting more than $250m in capital commitments, aiming to provide investors with exposure to assets such as offshore service vessels (OSVs), bulk carriers, and tankers—segments it believes offer strong returns due to ongoing supply-demand imbalances.
The new fund launches as Tranche IV, formally known as Easterly Fleet Holdings IV, closed at the end of March with $183m deployed, including ECO’s first move into the OSV market. Across all four previous tranches, ECO has invested nearly $400m since its founding in 2021.
“Our approach seeks to combine direct management of high-quality vessels with active ownership to help optimise asset performance and investor outcomes,” said Darrell Crate, founder and managing principal of Easterly Asset Management (pictured), adding: “ECO V offers investors a unique mechanism to access real assets, generate operating income, and offer the potential for early cash distributions.”
ECO V will follow the company’s typical model—investing in operating vessels and using the cash flow to service debt and return capital to investors over time. The structure is designed to offer regular distributions while preserving the upside from potential asset sales or appreciation.
The company said many of its existing backers—primarily ultra-high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and RIAs—are reinvesting into the new fund.
Led by chief of operations Jake Scott and chief of finance Andy Tuchman, ECO brings nearly three decades of combined maritime experience. The company was launched to capitalise on inefficiencies in global shipping markets, and has steadily expanded its portfolio across vessel types.
