Tours showcasing new offshore wind turbines to start in Aberdeen

Bosses want to sail visitors around Vattenfall’s £300 million wind turbine development.

Tours are expected to start soon, with operator Greenhowe Marine Services taking people up close and personal to the huge structures.

Ricky Greenhowe, who operates the tour boat, said: “A lot of people have been asking about it.

“Instead of an hour, the cruises would be an hour-and-a-half as it is five miles from the harbour to the windfarm.

“There’s a lot of people interested so far.

“We do the harbour tours and we did one trip out there already.”

Ricky said the company is just waiting for the confirmation that the boat can go out before the tours begin. The company also takes visitors out to sea for the opportunity to spot dolphin pods up close, rather than simply viewing them from the harbour.

The boat has previously been used as a water taxi to transfer goods and crew to offshore installations.

He added: “There’s nobody else doing anything like that.

“It’s two-and-a-half miles off the coast, but this way you can see it up close.

“We’ve had a lot of interest from companies as well. It’ll be good – it’s something different.”

The European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC) took nine weeks to build, from the time the first foundations were installed.

The development is the largest offshore wind test and demonstration facility in Scotland.

The 11 turbines began generating power for the first time in July.

They are expected to generate the equivalent of 70% of Aberdeen’s domestic electricity demand. The wind farm has also been the subject of legal challenges by US President Donald Trump.

Mr Trump claimed it would ruin the views from Trump International, his multi-million pound Menie golf course.

As well as being one of the fastest developments of its kind to be installed, one of the world’s largest floating cranes, the Asian Hercules III, was used to secure the equipment to the seabed.