Japanese conglomerate Marubeni has acquired a 25.1% stake in offshore wind service vessel provider Windward Offshore. Windward Offshore, which has a fleet of four CSOVs under construction at VARD shipyards, entered a partnership with Marubeni several months after securing a senior loan facility of up to €182m ($196m). The company also launched its first vessel CSOV, Windward Athens, last month. It will be delivered in September this year. The sale of the stake to Marubeni raised new equity to fund the future growth of Windward. Marubeni already has a strong presence in the global energy sector and is the developer of offshore wind projects in Europe and Japan. “We believe that Marubeni is a perfect complement to our existing group of shareholders, and we appreciate the diverse opportunities they bring to Windward. Marubeni’s expertise, network and financial strength will be invaluable as we continue to develop our portfolio and expand our footprint in the offshore wind industry,” said Bastian Hagebeuker, managing director of Windward Offshore. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1_95_0_1_2'); }); TagsGermany Japan Offshore Wind