Sharing knowhow in offshore wind construction

David Hoskin

I've helped B2B companies create and implement international marketing and communications strategies since 1999. I've been fortunate enough to work with some great companies and highly talented individuals during the years. But the game's changing fast. Although my aim is always to create pragmatic solutions that produce measurable results, there are always new challenges to overcome. I studied engineering and music and I have an Executive MBA (with Distinction) from Henley Business School, University of Reading (UK). Today, I'm a partner at B2B marketing agency cylindr and BBN International. Here on Integrated B2B, I want to share my personal opinions and perspectives on the changing face of B2B marketing. I hope you join in the conversation, too.

The start-stop challenge

By Kaj Lindvig, Senior Advisor, A2SEA A/S

Stable, long-term policy support and almost super-human planning skills are must-haves for any industry that involves projects as large and as lengthy as today’s offshore wind farms. Perhaps understandably, getting that kind of support in place is no easy task – particularly with the number of stakeholders and considerations involved. The result, particularly where the German market is concerned, is a bumpy, start-stop ride whose costs implications have damaged the industry’s reputation and attractiveness to investors. Continue reading

Teamwork can be tough

By Tony Millward, Senior Project Manager, A2SEA A/S

Complex geotechnics, a tight, seven-month winter project, and a client whose programme called for multiple, simultaneous vessel operations. With demands like these, the Anholt project needed as much as it could get of that magic ingredient: teamwork. And its steep learning curves meant, however, that the A2SEA team was under plenty of pressure. Continue reading

The first installation vessel with pre-loaded know-how

SEA INSTALLER

Designed on the basis of the knowledge and experience gained from installing over 800 turbines and more than 400 foundations, A2SEA’s SEA INSTALLER is one of the offshore wind industry’s most sophisticated installation vessels. To find out what makes the SEA INSTALLER so special, we talked to Hans Peter Johannsen, Head of Engineering and Senior Project Manager at A2SEA. Continue reading

SEA INSTALLER at Gunfleet Sands Demonstration Project

The Gunfleet Sands 3 Demonstration Project involved A2SEA’s SEA INSTALLER transporting and installing two Siemens 6MW turbines at the DONG Energy-owned and operated wind farm. Located off the coast of East Anglia, the project gave all three companies the opportunity to bring their latest technology to the table, and put it to the test. Continue reading

Customers talk about challenges

With offshore wind developments in the UK currently generating more power than the rest of Europe combined, and a strong pipeline of projects planned for the coming decade, offshore wind has become a major element in the UK energy mix.

In the Irish Sea, home to two of the Round 3 zones, locating a harbour with enough storage capacity to stock huge turbines and foundations, and deep enough for large installation vessels to operate, were two major challenges facing both DONG Energy and RWE. Continue reading