changes to their infrastructure. This has meant increasing interest in how to put facilities in place on a temporary basis while infrastructure catches up. THE RIGHT KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS At present, Europe remains the center of knowledge and expertise in offshore wind. But this will need to change as other regions ramp up activity. While in the short term this means there is a skills gap to bridge, different regions also present their own unique challenges in expertise that need to be overcome. For example, depth of the seabed. Foundations on the US Eastern Seaboard will sit at around 15-65m, compared to 3-20m in the North Sea in Europe. This means bigger monopiles and a greater challenge to handle them. Also, differing soils. Off some coasts, the soil may only be stable after 30-40m of depth, which is driving the move towards XXL monopiles. Conversations are needed about which skills are required to best address these issues, in terms of lifting, transportation, storage and more.
CAPABILITIES • Selection of vessels, including stowage plans, strength analysis and sea fastening calculations • Development of new solutions to handle transition pieces, pre-assemble turbines, strengthen the ground and more • Establishing the ideal transport route, handling shipping agents, customs, inspections and other documentation • Marshaling of components at port, including all storage, transportation and heavy lifting • Handling of foundation structure s including jackets, monopiles and transition pieces, from fabrication to installation vessel • Handling of nacelles, towers and blades, including road transportation from factory to quayside • Pre-assembly of turbines at the quayside, using some of the world’s largest land cranes • Maritime services, including commissioning of auxiliary steelwork, ballasting, mooring and barging • Floating offshore wind services, including transportation, load-out, launching and more
To increase specialized knowledge alongside local labor laws and conventions, union apprenticeship programs and knowledge-sharing partnerships need to be set up to build a solid foundation for future projects. BUILDING A GLOBAL FOOTPRINT As with knowledge and skills, most fabricators and developers are in Europe, but the ambitious renewable energy targets set by governments mean production must rise exponentially; beyond the capacity of just one continent. By 2024, the US alone will need around 600 turbines to fulfil its planned projects; that’s
the entire 2021 world production capacity used by just one country. A similar situation is faced when it comes to equipment - in the short term, vessel costs will remain high, and as production volumes increase availability will become more limited. Options are being evaluated to allow the industry to cope with this shortage - such as using onshore cranes to load turbines onto non-geared vessels, using ro-ro vessels, or converting vessels. For example, Siemens has built two ro- ro vessels that operate daily for Deugro, moving nacelles and towers continually, all over Europe. All options are expensive however, so there will be pressure to load these vessels as quickly and efficiently as possible – and not keep them waiting - to help drive down shipping costs - the largest outlay for any offshore wind project. This means it’s vital that a smooth global production line is put in place, managing complex projects across multiple continents – as has been the case for many years throughout heavy industry. WORKING TOGETHER With decades of proven expertise across the industry, collaboration between all players will be key to meeting the challenges posed by exponential growth. Organizations from across the supply chain with expertise in offshore wind and other energy industries, will have an important role in shaping the supply chains necessary to serve a market that is now truly global.
“Offshore wind provides the clearest path towards the carbon- neutral targets of 2030 and 2050. For countries without the shallow water areas and soil types to support fixed-bottom offshore wind, floating wind provides a route to more sustainable energy. As more countries enter the offshore wind market, there needs to be a reliable pipeline of projects in place before ports will consider upgrades that are very specific to offshore wind to be worthwhile.
In the meantime, Mammoet can help by providing the temporary ground strengthening, lifting capacity and other infrastructure
needed to get offshore wind projects off the ground.” Francisco Rodrigues, Global Segment Lead for Offshore Wind, Mammoet
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