EDT Offshore, a Cyprus-based provider of marine and subsea services, and Singapore-based shipmanagement group Synergy Marine, have launched a joint venture aimed at providing shipmanagement solutions for the offshore industry.

The partners said that the new entity, EDT Synergy Shipmanagement, would leverage the expertise of both companies while addressing decarbonisation and digitalisation challenges in the “unique” offshore sector.

Key challenges in offshore vessel management include the high energy demands of dynamic positioning, limited access to alternative fuels and a growing need for sustainable retrofitting, they said in a statement.

EDT Synergy will also support the maintenance and upgrading of offshore facilities and the expansion of exploration and production activities worldwide.

The move coincides with growth in subsea and renewable energy projects as well as offshore terminal operations and a recovery in offshore vessel rates that has attracted a number of new players to invest in the market.

The new initiative aimed to offer “customised management solutions tailored to meet the evolving needs of the offshore sector”, the joint statement said.

“This joint venture represents a strategic evolution of our shared vision for operational excellence,” said Giles Heimann, director of shipmanagement and operations at EDT Offshore.

Ajay Chaudhry, co-chief executive for shipmanagement at Synergy Marine Group, added that the new partnership highlighted Synergy’s “commitment to fostering innovation and delivering customised solutions for the offshore industry”.

Synergy manages more than 700 vessels globally, including gas carriers and containerships, and its network employs more than 28,000 seafarers.

EDT, meanwhile, is a family company that was established in 1980 initially to operate in the towage and salvage sector.

It later diversified and entered the oil and gas market, and EDT Offshore today has expertise spanning oil rig support, vessel chartering, logistics, subsea support and project management.

Its own fleet of more than 20 offshore vessels and tugs includes dynamically positioned multipurpose support vessels and units for fast crew supply, offshore survey support, anchor handling and dredging.

Last year it took delivery of EDT Aether (IMO: 9977505), an escort and firefighting vessel built by Damen Shipyards in Vietnam, and also added the 2005, Norwegian-built MPSV EDT Prometheus (IMO: 9339428) to the fleet.