Offshore Wind News

Germany's Economy Minister Katherina Reiche on Wednesday said companies may return previously auctioned offshore wind farm sites, provided they pay a penalty to transmission system operators, as mounting economic pressures continue to batter the sector.The move comes as increasing financing costs, overcapacity in certain sea areas and declining revenue expectations have made it harder for developers to deliver on awarded projects.In a letter to Reiche, the heads of eight of Germany's 16 states called on her to amend a bill before the German lower house of parliamentThey advocated for a one-tim

Seaway7, part of Subsea7 Group, has completed the final inner-array cable lay at the 1.4 GW East Anglia THREE offshore wind farm, developed by ScottishPower Renewables and Masdar, marking another milestone in the project's offshore construction.The campaign involved the installation of 95 inner-array cables, with more than 240 kilometers of cable loaded, laid and pulled into the foundations, Seaway7 announced on October 26.The milestone follows the installation of all 95 monopile foundations and transition pieces earlier this year…

Fugro has secured a contract from 50Hertz to carry out unexploded ordnance (UXO) survey, identification and clearance work for the LanWin3 and LanWin6 offshore grid connection projects in the German sector of the North Sea.The work will help prepare cable routes for the installation of high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cables connecting offshore wind farms to Germany's electricity network.The two grid connections will each have a transmission capacity of up to 2 GW, providing…

DNV has become the first non-Japanese recognized organization authorized by Japan's Flag Administration to apply floating offshore wind classification rules in the country.The authorization allows DNV to apply its floating offshore wind rules within Japan's regulatory framework, supporting the classification and technical assessment of floating wind installations.The rules cover floating substructures, mooring and station-keeping systems, as well as associated safety and utility systems.DNV said the approval strengthens its ability to provide technical expertise…

Saitec Offshore Technologies and Japan's Kansai Electric Power Company (KEPCO) have agreed to extend operations at the 2 MW DemoSATH floating offshore wind demonstrator in Spain through 2027, with Japanese construction company Kumagai Gumi joining the project as a new partner.The three companies have signed a cooperation agreement to continue operating the floating wind turbine at the BiMEP open-sea test site off the Basque coast, shifting the project's focus towards research…

SSE Renewables has selected Subsea7's Seaway7 as preferred supplier for offshore wind turbine foundations and subsea inter-array cables at its 1.4 GW Berwick Bank B offshore wind project in Scotland, under an agreement expected to support 465 UK jobs.The preferred supplier agreement covers engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) of approximately 90 fixed-bottom turbine foundations, as well as the design, supply and installation of inter-array cables.The project is planned for the outer Firth of Forth…

DEME has secured a contract worth between $56 million and $168 million for the transportation and installation of 69 wind turbines at the Zeevonk offshore wind farm in the Dutch North Sea, expanding its role in the approximately 1 GW project.The company will deploy its next-generation jack-up offshore transport and installation vessel, Norse Energi, to install the turbines during the first phase of the development.The latest award, valued between $56 million and $168 (€50 million and €150 million)…

Kongsberg Maritime has secured a contract with IWS Fleet, a subsidiary of Integrated Wind Solutions (IWS), to provide vessel design and integrated technology systems for four new commissioning service operation vessels (CSOVs) intended for offshore wind operations.Kongsberg Maritime's scope includes electrical power systems, navigation and bridge systems, propulsion, deck machinery, dynamic positioning systems and overall system integration.Each vessel will feature a double-ended design with four rim-drive azimuth thrusters…

Hampidjan Advant has signed an agreement with Cadeler to manufacture and supply heavy-duty lifting slings for the East Anglia TWO offshore wind farm project in the North Sea off the east coast of England.The equipment will be used aboard Cadeler's new wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV), Wind Ace, during construction of the wind farm, which is owned by ScottishPower Renewables.The slings will be manufactured by Hampidjan Baltic in Lithuania using high-modulus polyethylene…

Bibby Marine has launched its new battery-first electric commissioning service operation vessel (eCSOV) at Armon Shipyard in Vigo, Spain, ahead of its planned delivery in 2027.The vessel, which will carry the name Staffordshire, entered the water on October 10 and will undergo further outfitting at the shipyard over the coming months, including the installation of its battery systems.Unlike conventional hybrid-assist designs, the eCSOV is designed to use its energy storage system…

The topsides and jackets for two offshore substations serving Germany's 927 MW Gennaker offshore wind farm have departed the Netherlands for installation in the Baltic Sea as part of the OST-6-1 offshore grid connection project.The OSS Zingst and OSS Darß substations are being delivered by the HSI joint venture, comprising Smulders HSM and Iv, under an engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning (EPCIC) contract.The substations, each with a capacity of approximately 450 MW…

Danish contractor Cadeler has completed installation of all 76 wind turbines at the 1.2 GW Baltic Power project, Poland's first offshore wind farm, using its jack-up vessels Wind Osprey and Wind Mover.The completion of the turbine campaign moves Baltic Power into the final stages of preparation for full commissioning and operation after the project delivered first power to Poland's national grid in July 2026.Cadeler installed 76 Vestas V236-15 MW turbines at the Baltic Sea project.

Sumitomo Corporation Global Metals Co., Ltd. (SCGM) and TFI Marine Limited have formed a partnership to introduce innovation into mooring solutions for floating offshore wind and offshore energy projects. The partnership enables and accelerates the deployment of floating offshore wind in Japan and globally, contributing to decarbonization and energy security.Mooring systems are among the principal cost and risk drivers in floating offshore wind. As projects move into deeper water and towards commercial scale…

Dutch offshore vessel owner Acta Marine has christened its commissioning service operation vessel (CSOV) Acta Hercules in IJmuiden, the Netherlands, as the company moves closer to completing its four-vessel newbuild program.Acta Hercules was delivered earlier this year as the second vessel in the series and is already deployed under a long-term charter supporting offshore wind operations for Vestas.The vessel is equipped with methanol dual-fuel engines and an advanced battery energy storage system…

Siemens Energy has contracted EST-Floattech to supply a battery system of more than 1 MWh for Marco Polo Marine's new CSOV Plus, a vessel designed to work in both offshore wind and oil and gas operations.The Octopus High Energy battery system will support hybrid and dynamic positioning operations aboard the vessel, which is being built by Marco Polo Marine at its shipyard in Batam, Indonesia. Siemens Energy is the system integrator for the hybrid power plant.During dynamic positioning…

DEME has installed the 68th and final monopile at Vattenfall's 980 MW Nordlicht I offshore wind farm in the German North Sea, completing the project's monopile installation campaign.The milestone follows installation of the first monopile in July and the first transition piece in August. DEME carried out the monopile campaign using its offshore installation vessel Orion.Nordlicht I is located about 85 kilometers north of the German island of Borkum and is set to become Germany's…

Integrated Wind Solutions (IWS) subsidiary IWS Fleet has ordered four Skywalker-class commissioning service operation vessels (CSOVs) for a combined firm yard price of around $301 million (€260 million), expanding its owned fleet from six to 10 CSOVs.The four vessels, priced at around $75 million (€65 million) each, will be built by Nantong Rainbow Offshore & Engineering Equipment and delivered in 2029 and 2030 under fixed-price turnkey contracts.IWS Fleet has also secured options for another four vessels at the same firm prices…

SSE has selected Montrose Port as the preferred operations and maintenance base for its planned 1.4 GW Berwick Bank B offshore wind farm off Scotland, a move expected to create 100 full-time jobs.The new operational hub will be located at Montrose Port's South Harbour, with technicians and engineers responsible for the day-to-day operation of the wind farm over its expected life of more than 35 years.Around 30 additional jobs will be supported during construction of the base, which will involve redeveloping Montrose Port Authority's existing offices.Berwick Bank B…

Dajin Heavy Industry has selected Ulstein's ULSTEIN HX122 design for an offshore installation vessel capable of installing future 4XL monopiles, expanding the offshore wind foundation supplier's activities into offshore installation.The vessel, designed by Ulstein Design & Solutions in the Netherlands, is intended to install monopiles, jacket foundations and offshore substations. It will also be capable of supporting oil and gas construction and decommissioning work.The project will expand Dajin's capabilities beyond manufacturing…

Van Oord has named its two next-generation flexible fallpipe vessels Vindnes and Vestnes, with the 35,000-tonne-capacity ships scheduled for delivery in 2028 and 2029.The purpose-built vessels, currently under construction at Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore in China, will expand Van Oord's subsea rock installation capacity for offshore wind, interconnector and other energy infrastructure projects.Unlike converted vessels, Vindnes and Vestnes have been designed specifically for subsea rock installation…

Fincantieri's Norwegian subsidiary Vard has signed a contract, worth between $76 million and $86 million, to build a commissioning service operation vessel (CSOV) for Dong Fang Offshore, marking the fifth vessel ordered by the Taiwan-based marine contractor from the shipbuilder.The vessel will be based on VARD 4 39 design and adapted for subsea operations, offshore wind installation and maintenance, as well as cable laying and repair work.Measuring about 102.5 meters long and 19.5 meters wide…

ABL has been appointed by German transmission system operator 50Hertz to provide marine warranty survey services for the 2 GW Ostwind 4 offshore grid connection project in the German Baltic Sea.The consultancy will provide marine assurance for transportation and installation operations covering subsea cables and offshore infrastructure, including the installation of the project's converter platform and associated assets.Ostwind 4 will be the first project to use a high-voltage…

Stillstrom by Maersk has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Semco Maritime to manufacture and deliver a key part of its offshore vessel charging system, moving the technology into manufacturing following completion of its design phase.Semco Maritime will manufacture the local equipment room, or local equipment room (LER), which controls power, communications and safety functions across Stillstrom's offshore charging infrastructure.The containerized unit houses the transformer and medium-voltage switchgear used to transfer offshore-generated electricity from a wind farm to a vessel…