Norway's Equinor said in its third-quarter 2026 results that turbine installation at its Empire Wind offshore wind project off New York has slipped, with first power now expected in the first half of 2027, after delays involving US-built support vessels.
What Happened
According to the report, the 810-megawatt project is roughly 80% complete. All 54 turbine foundations, the offshore substation and cable work are finished, leaving offshore turbine installation as the main remaining scope, now slated to begin next year.
Equinor's chief financial officer told investors the installation start is later than planned. The company attributed the setback to US-built barges and tugs used to move turbine components between US ports and the installation vessel.
The project uses an installation system centered on a Singapore-built vessel. Because that ship is foreign-built, the Jones Act bars it from carrying turbine components between US points, so specially designed US-built barges and tugs deliver components from the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal to the installation vessel offshore.
Equinor said total capital expenditure is not expected to change at about $7.5 billion, though some spending shifts from 2026 into 2027. It still expects about $2.5 billion in US investment tax credits, with roughly $2 billion recognized in 2027 and $500 million in 2028, and said the revised schedule does not affect that timing.
Background
The report noted the project has faced repeated interruptions. In April 2025, work was ordered stopped over federal permitting concerns, an order lifted the following month. In December 2025, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management ordered construction halted on Empire Wind and four other projects over national security concerns. Equinor challenged the suspension and won preliminary relief to continue work; the company said the court dismissed the case on September 30, 2026, after the order expired.
The delay highlights the US offshore wind sector's reliance on specialized vessels and domestic shipbuilding capacity. Under the Jones Act, foreign-built installation vessels must work with US-built transfer vessels, so any lag in one link affects the whole schedule.
Impact on Shippers
The project does not directly involve China-US cross-border e-commerce cargo, but the equipment and project materials it generates are worth watching. Component and construction material shipments between China and the US could cluster in 2027 as the schedule shifts, potentially tightening breakbulk and special-container capacity on related lanes at times.
For regular US-bound shippers, such energy project schedules mainly affect barge, trucking and warehouse resources around East Coast ports. Near-term impact on mainstream ocean parcel and ocean truck delivery transit times and costs is limited, though local queuing for container pickup and last-mile delivery around New York and New Jersey is possible.
Recommendations
Shippers sending goods to the US East Coast should monitor port operations in New York and nearby areas in the first half of 2027 and confirm pickup and delivery windows with last-mile providers in advance. Cargo owners with project materials should secure space early and verify documentation for breakbulk and out-of-gauge cargo to avoid capacity and trucking tightness when projects start up together.