On February 5, WISTA UK and NorthStandard hosted an insightful session on offshore wind, where our president Monica Kohli and Angelus Aguado, Claims, Senior Executive for Offshore & Renewables from NorthStandard, welcomed guests before Paulina Medina Martin, a senior architect at ABL, spoke about her role as a Marine Warranty Surveyors (MWS) and about offshore wind projects.
Currently we see offshore wind farms continuing to grow in scale – some now exceeding 200 turbines – and there growing connection to shipping and logistics was noted during the seminar. The talk focused on the growth and the role of Marine Warranty Surveyors in ensuring these complex operations are executed safely and efficiently.
Offshore wind farms are large-scale installations of wind turbines at sea, designed to harness wind energy for electricity generation. These farms are strategically placed in regions with strong, consistent winds. The total offshore wind capacity now stands at 72.5 GW, with 10.8 GW installed in 2023 alone. China led the market with 6.3 GW installed last year, followed by the Netherlands at 1.9 GW and the UK at 833 MW.
The offshore wind industry is experiencing rapid growth, driven by increasing demand for renewable energy, technological advancements and government policies promoting sustainability. However, the sector faces several challenges. This includes harsh weather conditions impacting installation and maintenance, complex logistics due to remote locations, high costs associated with construction, cable laying and insurance and deepwater installations requiring floating wind farms.
The role of a Marine Warranty Surveyor is crucial in offshore wind project management. As independent third-party professionals, they are responsible for verifying that offshore wind projects’ marine operations adhere to acceptable risk limits. Their role stems from the marine warranty clause, which mandates independent oversight to ensure safe and compliant operations. Their key responsibilities include verifying transportation and installation methodologies, conducting on-site inspections to ensure compliance with safety standards, assessing vessel and equipment suitability, and overseeing the project for extended periods, sometimes months, to ensure safe execution
The session then explored the installation phase of offshore wind farms, and the challenges. There is great opportunity for wind farms where weather is rough, but this poses difficulties for the installation. With strong weather conditions, this can cause delays and interruptions to installations, which also raises the importance of safety and increases costs.
Another informative part of the session was on the specialised vessels dedicated to cable laying for offshore wind farms. Laying cables is highly expensive, costing approximately £12.5 billion. 80% of insurance claims in offshore wind relate to cable issues, often caused by manufacturing defects, latent defects, damage during installation, and repairs take multiple days, which adds to operational costs.
Once operational, offshore wind farms require ongoing maintenance to ensure efficiency and longevity. Common challenges include component wear and tear due to harsh marine conditions, high costs and logistical difficulties in servicing turbines at sea, and ensuring safe personnel transitions amid unpredictable weather.
When talking of the future of the offshore wind sector, Paulina believes it will continue to evolve. More floating wind farms are expected on a global scale as technology advances. Innovations in cable durability, vessel efficiency and installation techniques will continue to play a key role in reducing costs and mitigating risks.
The session at NorthStandard gave an insight into the working of offshore wind farms and an Insight into the installation and operating costs , the challenges and also the indispensable role of Marine Warranty Surveyors in offshore wind projects. With an increasing focus on renewable energy, the collaboration between shipping, marine surveying and wind energy development will be crucial in shaping the future of offshore wind. The engaging presentation sparked many questions, reflecting the growing interest in this dynamic and vital sector.
