Sea Services North America has earned the international offshore wind energy Program of the Year Award in Health, Safety & Environment presented by the industry’s largest member organization, Oceantic Network.

The prestigious Ventus Award was presented during Oceantic Network’s four-day International Partnering Forum, the industry’s largest annual gathering in the Americas. Sea Services  participated in Oceantic’s IPF 2025 in April as a partner with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

Sea Services was also a finalist nominated in the Supply Chain Advancement – Private sector category, the only member nominated for two awards.

“Sea Services North America is leading the way by demonstrating a successful partnership between the fishing community and offshore wind – all the while putting safety and community at the forefront of their operations,” said Liz Burdock, president and CEO of Oceantic Network. “By building trust, upgrading fleets, and training fishermen to meet global safety standards, they’ve created a new model for what collaboration between ocean users can look like, creating a vision of shared success.”

Oceanic Network refers to Ventus Award finalists as those who are “leading the global industry and driving innovation.”

Sea Services was nominated based on its overall focus on safety, the opportunities it represents for investment in local content, and its role in creating a model that can quickly scale to meet needs as they arise.

Sea Services has operations in six states, overseen from its headquarters in New London, CT, the Northeast hub for offshore wind farm component staging and shipping.

“We truly appreciate this hard-earned recognition. This award validates what our fishermen have known since we started in 2020 – that Sea Services provides income and safer working conditions for commercial fishermen and their families while our crews ensure that this new industry operates with sensitivity and respect for area fishing grounds,” said Gary Yerman, a long-time commercial fisherman who established Sea Services and serves as Fleet Manager. “Sea Services was founded based on improving safety at Sea for commercial fishermen through offshore wind work.  So to receive an industry-wide award for highlighting the excellence of our safety program is a real honor.”

“I’m especially proud to win the Health, Safety and Environment Award because that acknowledges our commitment to keeping crews safe at sea,” said Sea Services President and CEO Gordon Videll. “This recognition of our unique co-op business model sets us apart as a leader in the development of this new American industry.”