By Jens Frederik Hansen, CEO, A2SEA A/S
We’re living in an increasingly competitive world and, as a leading maritime nation that wants to stay up with the play, Denmark needs to review one particular aspect of its regulatory framework: seafarer taxation. While more conventional vessels are covered by favourable taxation rules, it’s becoming more and more important for this to be extended to specialised vessels operating in offshore industries.
By Jens Frederik Hansen, CEO, A2SEA
Earlier this year, nine North Sea region countries signed an agreement aimed at building a more sustainable, secure and affordable energy supply through a much more ambitious level of cooperation. It appears there may be billions to be saved (according to European Commission studies) if we work together – and I’m certainly all for the idea. But what will the reality be? Can politicians, investors and the industry itself really deliver this potential upside by building electricity links, allowing more trading of energy and further integration of energy markets?
By Jens Nielsen, Director, Head of Procurement, A2SEA
We have now finalised two locally based mobilisations in the UK, representing a clear forward step in bringing projects and jobs to the region. So what has it been like to do this for the first time? And does it mean for the future?
By Klaus Holm Nissen, Project Manager, A2SEA
SEA INSTALLER and her crew have just installed the eighteenth of 32 MHI Vestas V164-8.0 MW turbines at Burbo Bank Extension. So far, we’ve made excellent progress, despite having to work with a lot of new, specialised lifting equipment for these large components. With the learning curves behind us, and if the weather continues to cooperate as nicely as it has to date, we expect to be finished mid to late December.
This is the first time we’ve installed a MHI Vestas V164-8.0 MW turbine. Yet the task presents relatively few challenges for us. Perhaps the most difficult part of the project, seen from A2SEA’s point of view, is the sea bed in the area. With a lot of clay and sand, as well as some silt, it’s a tricky task to jack up securely. That kind of surface composition can be very sticky, which initially had us thinking we might have problems retracting the legs. But it didn’t turn out to be much of a problem. There were, of course, some extended pre-load periods in order for us to compress the soil sufficiently and make sure it was able to support the vessel – even in a storm.
By Hans Peter Johannsen, Vice President, Projects.
This is the third article in our series about reducing the LCoE in the offshore wind industry through optimising turbine loading, transport and installation.
A2SEA’s internal data supports wider industry observations that the cost of turbine installation per installed MW is, in fact, coming down. From our perspective (and remembering that turbine installation is a minor part of an wind farm’s overall development), there are gains to be made whenever we can load more megawatts at a time onto our vessels. This ability is strongly assisted by the increasing amount of power generated by larger turbines such as the MHI Vestas 8 MW. But that’s far from the full story.
By Kirsten Bank Christensen, Vice President, HSEQ at A2SEA A/S
Musculoskeletal injuries are an ever-present hazard in the offshore wind installation business. They’re defined as injuries that affect the human body’s movement or musculoskeletal system (muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, discs, blood vessels and so on). And, while many have an obvious and immediate cause, such as a back injury caused by lifting a heavy object on an awkward angle, others may be ‘occupational illnesses’ – damages that creep up on a worker over many years. In any case, this is a serious issue that can have permanent and devastating consequences at both professional and personal levels.
By Tony Millward, Vice President, Tender & Contracts, A2SEA
Tendering has been part of the offshore wind industry since its inception – and it’s crucial for arriving at an efficient and safe turbine installation plan. Yet still today, there are elements of the tender process that can be improved. So what makes for a good process?
For me, one of the most important aspects to tendering is simply this: Who’s at the table? At A2SEA, we always front with a full team comprising commercial, technical and legal advisors in all phases. This hasn’t been the norm on the other side of the table – but it may well be where things are headed in the future.
By Jens Frederik Hansen, CEO, A2SEA
On September 8, SEA INSTALLER successfully installed the first of the MHI Vestas V164-8 MW turbines – the largest offshore wind turbines ever sold for commercial operation – at the Burbo Bank Extension project. The project will add round 258 MW of capacity and stretches over 40 square kilometres.
Installing these turbines is nothing short of fantastic, and we are very pleased to work with MHI Vestas again. The preparation for the project was smooth and professional and the whole experience to date has been very positive. We look forward to installing more of these enormous turbines during the rest of this project and in others to come.
Read more about the project here.
By Hans Peter Johannsen, Vice President, Projects.
This is the second article in our series about reducing the LCoE in the offshore wind industry through optimising turbine loading, transport and installation.
These days, A2SEA is as busy as ever, working through a pipeline of turbine installation projects that shows no sign of slowing down. Such healthy demand is a blessing, of course, but we’re equally lucky in that the purpose-built vessels SEA CHALLENGER and SEA INSTALLER were initially designed to handle not just the installation of turbines, but foundations as well. Why is that so lucky? It’s all about how much they can handle.
By Hans Peter Johannsen, Vice President, Projects.
This is the first post in a series about reducing the LCoE in the offshore wind industry through optimising turbine loading, transport and installation.
In offshore wind, few things dominate industry conversations as much as reducing the levelised cost of energy (LCoE). And certainly, with many years spent working to optimise equipment, procedures and safety, turbine installation contractors such as A2SEA have been able to become highly efficient, bringing the costs of installation down within the installer’s scope of control. In a series of articles, we’ll be discussing the steps we’re taking to achieve even greater efficiencies. Continue reading