Offshore Wind

As on land, turbines are growing larger, heavier and taller, approaching 175m and a combined weight of over five tonnes –but this is only a small part of the story.

The right modularized construction strategy minimizes the time turbines are stored at port. The right lifting plan means vessels spend less time lying idle. A smart logistics approach helps to connect the two, forming a smooth production line on a global scale. 

This helps wind farms to be constructed at the smallest number of locations, with the fewest possible interfaces, in the largest units – making them faster to build and more cost-effective.  

Success here is about how to transfer loads from production to storage, then storage to vessel, as quickly as possible - using as little space as possible. Every second saved pays off hundreds of times over as successive batches go out. 

We offer a range of handling and marine services, from on-site transportation via SPMT, through a range of specialized equipment such as blade clamps and tailing systems, to complex load-outs including mooring and ballasting. 

Our experts' smart strategies keep load-outs efficient, even as monopiles start to outgrow the largest heavy lift vessels. Through custom handling frames, we help to transfer jackets without modification and move transition pieces while still upright - speeding up schedules.  

Even at ports used to serving offshore wind, with components this large the pressure to use space efficiently is always on. Vessels must be kept constantly working to maximize cost-effectiveness; documentation must be prepared promptly; components must arrive precisely on time at congested sites. 

We act as a single point of contact from the factory or storage to the installation vessel, reducing the number of interfaces experienced during each project, which in turn lowers the risk of delays. From interaction with shipping agents, through stevedore management, to lashing and sea fastening, we run a well-oiled machine.  

Where infrastructure can be developed, we take a long-term approach, helping to create a lasting legacy to serve current and future wind projects. Where it can’t, our engineers can temporarily strengthen the quay to support offshore wind marshaling using technologies such as Enviro-Mat.

During pre-assembly, keeping the installation vessel waiting is not an option. So, components must be stored for easy access, as close as possible to the water’s edge, and with as few time-consuming transfer or upending maneuvers as possible. 

Assembling modern offshore wind turbines also requires some of the world's largest cranes - but at local or container ports, infrastructure may need to be temporarily strenghtened for work to proceed. This allows more of the project to take place in the host country, and from operational expenses. 

With the market’s largest equipment fleet, Mammoet can mobilize a wide range of hydraulic saddles, blade clamps and transport frames to any worldwide location, allowing components to be stored compactly as manufactured, or closer to ground level. This quickens on-site transportations and ties up less space. 

The large radius of our PTC and SK cranes move lifting away from the quay edge onto surer ground, while their giant hook heights allow turbine assembly to take place on or next to the quay, where it is most efficient. Where needed, our experts design transfer and ground strengthening techniques that allow projects to proceed, whatever the location.

As offshore wind farms age, the likelihood of maintenance events will increase. Delivering the right equipment to the repair location will be a challenge in itself. 

Intense competition will develop for the use of crane vessels; many of which will be too short to repair turbines at sea in any case. The significant technical challenge of performing repairs while floating is another significant issue. 

Mammoet is innovating to develop solutions that will help maintenance to take place more easily. By utilizing gantry lifting systems attached to the turbine itself, items up to 200t can be lifted to and from the nacelle, facilitating repair of motors, gearboxes and generators at sea. 

Lifting systems using the turbine for support allow operators to respond more quickly to incidents, storing maintenance equipment locally for re-use. In this way, uptime is maximized, helping each offshore wind farm to deliver the greatest possible return on investment.  

The sheer space required to build floating foundations will be a challenge for existing fabrication facilities; a fact that is likely to open the market to new entrants across the globe. Floating foundations are expected to grow to a footprint of 10,000m2 and 16,000t in weight, so need considerable infrastructure to handle.

As the sector matures, these modules will need to be fabricated, transported and launched in locations all over the world. This will require feats of engineering never before seen in the renewables sector – and further intensify pressures on time and space.

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