Maersk Supply Service and Stiesdal Offshore have mooted plans to offer integrated EPCI services for the burgeoning floating offshore wind market.
The two Danish companies would offer what they described as a “comprehensive and integrated” engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) solutions for floating foundations and moorings.
The firms said joint services would span foundation design, fabrication, assembly and installation for developers looking to scale up projects from demonstrations to full commercial operation. This approach would support faster installations and reduce the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) from floating wind.
Stiesdal has already worked on the “Tetra” system since 2017 – a suite of floating foundations based on factory-made modules assembled with maintenance-free joints – which it says reduces manufacturing time and costs.
The Danish engineering group built and installed the first Tetra floater off the west coast of Norway in 2021, in partnership with Shell, RWE and TEPCO Renewable Power.
Meanwhile, Maersk Supply Service says it would leverage its expertise in towing and mooring, alongside project management, engineering and its offshore vessel fleet. It has already undertaken floating projects, having recently executed a mooring system installation for the Saitec DemoSath scheme offshore Bilbao.
“With this partnership, we want to offer our customers a combined EPCI solution for floating wind foundation design, fabrication, assembly and installation. We believe this will simplify the value chain in the growing floating wind sector, which is still in the early stages, but which will also by necessity see rapid expansion and growth in the coming decade,” explained Maersk Supply Service chief executive Steen S. Karstensen.
In practice, Maersk will act as lead contractor and key contact for clients on any projects carried out as part of the collaboration, with Stiesdal acting as a subcontractor.
The logistics group recently confirmed investment in its first newbuild vessel dedicated entirely to offshore wind, which is planned to be ready for operation on the US East Coast by the mid-2020s.
“Maersk Supply Service is a global operator with decades of world-leading marine services to its name. Stiesdal has the technologies for developing competitive floating offshore wind on a truly global scale. I am confident that with the combined capabilities of the two companies we can fulfil a significant share of the ambitious targets being set for floating wind in the coming decade,” added Stiesdal chief technology officer Henrik Stiesdal.
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