Stiesdal, Maersk Offer Floating Wind Services
Denmark's Maersk Supply Service and renewable energy pioneer Stiesdal Offshore have entered into a strategic partnership to offer combined solutions to this fast-growing sector within floating offshore wind.
The companies say they intend to combine their respective strengths to meet the significant expansion predicted for floating wind. Specifically, they will offer comprehensive and integrated engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) solutions for foundations and moorings.
They said that "This integrated approach will streamline the value chain, facilitating fast-track installations and ultimately bringing down the levelised costs of floating wind."
Stiesdal Offshore says that the floating wind sector is expected to develop rapidly in the coming decade. While the industry is currently at the stage of exploring a number of demonstration projects, the first commercial floating wind farms are expected to be deployed from 2028 and onwards.
“With this partnership, we want to offer our customers a combined EPCI solution for floating wind foundation design, fabrication, assembly and installation. We believe this will simplify the value chain in the growing floating wind sector, which is still in the early stages, but which will also by necessity see rapid expansion and growth in the coming decade. By working closely together with Stiesdal, we want to facilitate this green development – and to accelerate our own journey into floating wind,” says CEO of Maersk Supply Service, Steen S. Karstensen.
“Maersk Supply Services is a global operator with decades of world-leading marine services to its name. Stiesdal has the technologies for developing competitive floating offshore wind on a truly global scale. I am confident that with the combined capabilities of the two companies we can fulfil a significant share of the ambitious targets being set for floating wind in the coming decade,” says Stiesdal CTO Henrik Stiesdal.
Since 2017, Stiesdal Offshore has been developing its Tetra concept, which they call "the world’s first fully industrialised floating technology". Based on factory-made modules assembled in port to form a complete foundation, the Tetra concept reduces manufacturing hours significantly, achieving a lightweight and cost-effective floating foundation.
In cooperation with Shell, RWE and TEPCO Renewable Power, Stiesdal built and installed the first Tetra floater off the west coast of Norway in 2021, demonstrating the cost-saving and rationalisation potential of the concept.
Maersk Supply Service delivers integrated solutions for the offshore energy sector. Its has over 50 years’ experience of safely and efficiently delivering towing and mooring scopes in some of the world’s harshest waters. Most recently, Maersk Supply Service oversaw and executed the mooring system installation for the Saitec DemoSath floating wind project offshore Bilbao.
The companies say the aim of the collaboration is to leverage the companies’ combined strengths and assets to accelerate the roll-out of floating wind by offering full-scope EPCI services to floating wind farm developers looking to scale their projects from pilot to full commercial operation.
