Wind Farm Operators News

UK-based offshore vessel designer Chartwell Marine has partnered with a designer and shipbuilder of specialized vessels, VARD, to introduce the Midi-SOV: a "revolutionary" 55-meter offshore wind craft. "Coming to both the US and European markets in 2024, the vessel represents the combined expertise of the respective crew transfer vessel (CTV) and SOV design leaders — providing a brand-new solution to the ongoing challenge of expanding wind power across the globe. The vessel is designed Jones Act-compliant…

Marine engineering consultancy, BAR Technologies (BAR), said Wednesday that its low-emission crew transfer vessel (CTV) design, the BARTech 30, will be available for the first U.S. offshore wind projects in 2024, following quotes at several U.S. shipyards.BAR said Wednesday it was meeting with the U.S. offshore wind vessel supply chain at a workboat show in New Orleans this week in anticipation of license agreements that will see the CTV type built in the U.S."As the nascent U.S.

Japanese ship classification society ClassNK has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Maersk Training A/S regarding training for offshore wind farm operators and education for alternative fuel ship crews."With the signing of the MOU, the two parties will cooperate proactively towards enabling high-quality training which satisfies the international standards to be provided and thus a competent local labor force to be supplied to the growing offshore wind industry in Japan as well as in APAC region…

Shane Guidry transformed Harvey Gulf from an inland and offshore towing vessel operator to a provider of offshore vessel services in the Gulf of Mexico and international oil and gas markets. Innovation initiatives he has spearheaded include, among others, leading the company to become the United States’ first owner and operator of liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered offshore support vessels, as well positioning the firm as the first LNG bunkering facility operator in the U.S.

It’s no secret that the U.S. offshore wind sector is finally about to burst into action after years of behind-the-scenes movement. With a new administration set to bolster the favorable political headwinds for the sector, establishing a strong domestic supply chain will be critical as the industry scales up.Offshore wind farm operators will need high-quality vessels ready to go, and crew transfer vessels (CTV) are vital when constructing and servicing new assets. Concurrently…

Dutch Damen Shipyards Group has teamed up with technology firm MO4 specializing in offshore motion prediction, to take a step towards the digitalization of offshore wind farm operations. "This strategic alliance pairs Damen’s Triton monitoring platform with MO4 motion forecasting knowledge, offering data analytic-based services. Vessel operation will become more effective and safety levels will increase at the same time," Damen said.Damen Triton is a remote monitoring and operational insight tool…

UK-based offshore crew transfer vessels provider High Speed Transfers (HST) said Wednesday it had ordered three new crew transfer vessels.The company ordered two BARTech 30 CTVs from marine engineering consultancy, BAR Technologies, and an additional hybrid Chartwell 24, with BAR Technologies’ Foil Optimised Stability System (FOSS) from Chartwell Marine. The vessels will be built at Diverse Marine, on the Isle of Wight, UK."As offshore wind technology continues to evolve, and projects are developed further out to sea…

Fast-growing offshore windfarms expect low carbon service operations by support vessels, but supplying and handling biofuels is a challenge and the development of ammonia and hydrogen-powered vessels still has a long way to go, ship fuel broker and trader LQM Petroleum Services said.The global offshore wind industry continues to balloon, adding 6.1 GW capacity in 2019 and has continued to grow through the Covid-19 pandemic, the company reminded."In Europe the sector has now reached…

As the global fleet of offshore renewables fleet increases, ways to reduce the cost and increase the efficiency and safety of operations and maintenance work, using robotics and autonomous systems, will also grow. Elaine Maslin reports.Robotics and autonomous systems are moving into many areas of modern day life. It’s becoming harder to avoid them, from our phones to automotive systems and now offshore energy renewable projects.Both are seen as tools to do otherwise dull, dirty or dangerous work…

Ship owners can expect a rich digitalized offering from Kongsberg Group after the merger of its software-producing, oil-and-gas technology division; its maritime simulation (SIM) business and the company’s renewable energy department. Kongsberg Digital is the successor to these, and among the new entity’s cloudlike offerings are new ways to learn and train, as well as new SIM business models. Behind it all is the ultimate learning academy, one for all the world’s SIM and the Internet of Things — their trademarked digital “ecosystem”, Kognifai.

SeaOwls and Ulstein launched a new heavy lift jack-up vessel design, the SOUL, at the Offshore Wind Journal Conference on February 7. According to the designers, the cruciform structural lay-out makes the patent-pending solution more than 10 percent lighter than conventional jack-up vessel designs. In combination with a high capacity crane, SOUL enables operators to take the next step in developing offshore wind farms. The concept aims to install the next generation wind turbines (10-12 MW) in the same time frame as currently used for installing 6-8 MW units…

Strainstall, part of James Fisher and Sons plc, announced the completion of the world’s first Intelligent Fender System (IFS) trial with energy companies SSE and RWE at Suffolk-based wind farm, Greater Gabbard. The IFS is an in-house developed technology which aims to provide accurate and recordable data to improve safety and increase operational efficiency for vessel and offshore wind farm operators during transfer operations. The Greater Gabbard trial enabled Strainstall to…

ASV Ltd in association with Planet Ocean Ltd, have received funding from the GROW:OffshoreWind initiative to investigate how the use of Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs) could reduce the costs of offshore wind farm support. The project will look at using ASVs to reduce the cost of tasks related to the construction, operation and maintenance (O&M) of offshore wind farms. Together ASV and Planet Ocean will look at scour monitoring, cable position tracking, wave and meteorological monitoring, current profile monitoring and underwater noise monitoring. ASV will be presenting two of their ASVs, the C-Enduro and C-Worker whilst Planet Ocean who specialise in the provision of marine instruments will look at mission and sensor options.

DNV GL and the wind turbine blade manufacturer Sinoma signed a partnership agreement for certification of Sinoma’s products to improve the reliability and quality of blades manufactured in China. Certification ensures that turbines that use blades produced by Sinoma comply to international safety and reliability standards throughout their lifespan, in onshore and offshore wind applications. As wind turbines increase in size, the failure of key components as rotor blades can lead to significant losses for the different stakeholders involved. “Turbine manufacturers constantly work on improving quality and reliability of wind turbine components such as rotor blades and gearboxes for example,” explains Daniel Hein, Country Manager China for Renewables Certification, DNV GL.

Xodus Group, Cathie Associates and UTEC Geomarine have formed an industry leading consortium to deliver a study which will aim to reduce the costs of generating electricity from offshore wind farms in U.K. waters. The Carbon Trust’s Offshore Wind Accelerator (OWA), which brings together nine offshore wind developers (DONG Energy, E.ON, Mainstream Renewable Power, RWE Innogy, ScottishPower Renewables, SSE Renewables, Statkraft, Statoil and Vattenfall) in a joint industry project, is working towards reducing the cost of offshore wind by at least 10% by 2015. Technology challenges are identified and prioritized by the OWA members based on the likely savings and the potential for the OWA to influence the outcomes.

Almost 200 senior figures from across the U.K.’s offshore wind industry recently debated the future of managing operational wind farm projects. Delegates assembled to hear what lessons can be learnt from pioneering wind farm operators off the East of England coast, and the sharing of experiences and thoughts from past and potential developers which will help shape the future of the industry. The 'Asset Management: Reducing Cost, Addressing Risk' conference was staged at the OrbisEnergy centre in Lowestoft, hosted by national trade body RenewableUK. The event challenged the supply chain to rethink how operations and maintenance (O&M) can become a more integral part of planning at the design and construction phase of future windfarms.

Houlder & BMT Nigel Gee announce that their jointly developed Turbine Access System (TAS) has successfully completed offshore trials. The TAS was fitted to Turbine Transfers’ 24m Cemlyn Bay for a four week trials period at RWE’s Rhyl Flats offshore windfarm off the coast of Wales. The TAS is a lightweight motion compensated gangway that provides substantially improved access to offshore wind turbines for maintenance personnel. It considerably increases the level of safety and operability, both of which are prime goals for offshore wind farm operators and developers.

Windfarm support company Wildcat Marine has taken delivery of the first 17-metre Blyth Workcat. The new boat was handed-over in Southampton, UK, and is now based in Barrow in Furness from where it is currently providing support services for the Walney Wind Farm. The new boat, “Wildcat 3”, is the largest catamaran ever built by Blyth Workcats and the company is confident that it will introduce a new standard of performance and economy for the wind farm support industry. The new 17-metre boat is the third Blyth Workcat to be owned by Wildcat Marine.

The offshore wind industry is experiencing a dynamic growth and with this new order Fjellstrand says it has answered the industry’s challenge of making fuel-efficient vessels which provide stable, safe and effective access to the wind farms. With support from the Carbon Trust, Fjellstrand  addressed these market requirements and developed a new concept, the “WindServer”, for the transportation of technicians and components to the offshore wind farms. The new WindServer trimaran SWATH design introduces a new level in sea-keeping performance and transport efficiency.

Voith has teamed with With the SCHRAMM group to develop special vessels to serve the North Sea Wind Farm market. Voith and the SCHRAMM group will pool their vessel design expertise and will jointly develop special vessels for the transfer of staff and material to wind farms in the North and Baltic Seas. In addition to the vessel design, Voith will supply the propulsion systems. The SCHRAMM group contributes all services, from the supervision during the vessel building process up to the vessel management. If service technicians have to enter wind turbines in waves of up to four meters to carry out repair or maintenance work, the Voith Schneider Propeller (VSP) is the ideal propulsion concept for added safety.

IJmuiden-based Offshore Ship Designers is to design a new compact but powerful AHT offshore support vessel for Netherlands-based Neptune Marine Service BV. The order follows a recent contract for the design of two Azistern24/56 tugs for Singapore-based Pacific Offshore Engineering and Trading Pte. The key to both designs is that although the vessels will have the capabilities of much larger tugs and offshore support vessels, their smaller size reduces both capital outlay and on-going operational costs.

UK Wind Energy Services company, Gaoh Offshore announced the signing of a Letter of Intent covering the design development and construction of their multi-purpose wind farm development vessel, the Deepwater Installer. Gaoh Offshore and STX Offshore & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (STX O&S) signed the Letter of Intent [LOI] at the end of 2010 and board approval was given last month. The LOI is for construction at the STX Dalian Shipbuilding Complex in China after a period of joint further development giving both companies a commercial interest in the design.

Offshore wind farm support vessel specialists OWPMS has partnered with The Brook Henderson Group to provide a bespoke package for offshore wind farm operators, focusing on vessel supply during construction and operation & maintenance phases throughout Europe, Asia and North America. Brook Henderson is committing it substantial financial resources, equity of over $44.4m, to building a fleet of up to 60 Vessels over the coming 24 months. Eddie Ward, Co-Founder of OWPMS, said "Due to recent events within the banking sector it's made raising funds to build new vessels very difficult and was preventing us from expanding to allow us to tender for new work.