This consortium, comprising Morek Engineering, Solis Marine Engineering, Tope Ocean, First Marine Solutions, and Celtic Sea Power, secured the funding through the UK Government’s Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition.
The vessel's initial design is slated for completion by early 2025, with plans to engage classification societies for approval in principle. The aim is to create a pioneering low-carbon vessel tailored to the intricate installation needs of moorings and foundations for floating offshore wind farms. The project seeks to align with the specific requirements of the emerging Floating Wind sector while supporting the UK's maritime decarbonization agenda.
"This will be a first-in-class low-carbon vessel designed specifically to meet the complex installation requirements of floating offshore wind farm moorings and foundations. The project aims to align the detailed requirements of the emerging Floating Wind sector with the objectives of the UK maritime decarbonization agenda," explained Bob Colclough, MD of Morek Engineering.
Bob Colclough emphasized the need for a cost-effective solution to enable the serialized installation of extensive moorings and floating foundation systems while minimizing carbon emissions during the construction and maintenance of the next generation wind farms. The project aims to address this challenge by developing the next generation of offshore wind construction vessels.
Ian Godfrey, MD of Tope Ocean, highlighted that the project would involve a detailed feasibility study for the requirements of the emerging global floating offshore wind sector. The envisioned low-carbon installation vessel will be designed to execute complex, high-energy construction tasks within the duty cycle constraints of future low and zero-carbon fuel systems.
The initiative is part of the latest round of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, falling under the Department’s UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) program—a £206 million ($260 million) initiative focused on developing the necessary technology to decarbonize the UK's domestic maritime sector.
