High tech service vessels which will play a major part in servicing some of Britain’s leading offshore windfarms, will also benefit from a series of engineering initiatives designed by HBPW.
Late last year DONG Energy announced plans for a multi-million pounds investment in Grimsby to create the UK’s largest offshore wind operations and maintenance hub, now being developed in the town’s Royal Dock
It will initially support Westermost Rough, Race Bank and Hornsea Project One offshore wind farms, with further capacity to also support other east coast wind farms in DONG Energy’s future development pipeline.
DONG Energy announces plans for new UK offshort wind hub
Transforming the way wind farms are supported, the hub will be served by high-tech Service Operational Vessels (SOVs) capable of accommodating up to 60 crew and technicians while remaining at sea for long periods.
Associate, Paul Jacklin, said: “A 64m pontoon is to be built at Royal Dock with the ability to berth up to five SOVs, two either side and one at its end. Our job has been to complete the engineering design for the five 27.5m vertical steel mooring piles that anchor the pontoon, in addition to the fixed reinforced concrete base that will ultimately support the boat loading crane.”
The wider hub will include a comprehensive marine and helicopter coordination centre capable of providing 24-7 service to offshore operations across the UK and beyond.
Brent Cheshire, DONG Energy’s UK Country Chairman, said: “This new operational hub in Grimsby will be a game changing industry first, raising the bar for the way we serve offshore wind farms. It will generate direct and indirect job opportunities in the Humber region, as well as opportunities for the local supply chain.
“It represents a massive vote of confidence to the UK offshore wind industry and confirms our commitment to the Humber region where by 2019 we expect to have invested around £6 billion.”
The first SOV is scheduled to arrive later this year to support a phased activation on the new hub. The vessel will initially support the operation and maintenance of Race Bank, DONG Energy’s 580-megawatt offshore wind farm currently under construction 17 miles off the Norfolk and Lincolnshire coastlines.
DONG Energy – £6b investment for the Humber region
Once mobilised, SOVs will spend up to 28 consecutive days on station at the wind farm, where they will be able to service six to eight wind turbines each day. They are expected to set the blueprint for the way in which offshore wind farms are maintained.
Paul Jacklin added: “We may only be playing a small part in the overall scheme but it is an important one and testimony to the company’s reputation among those organisations leading some of the biggest civil engineering projects in the UK,” he added.
DONG Energy is one of the leading energy groups in Northern Europe,. Headquartered in Denmark, it has around 6,700 employees, including more than 600 in the UK engaged in developing, constructing and operating offshore wind farms