40 cutting edge > cLeAneR eneRgy
oFFsHoRe Wind PoWeR cLAss RuLes FoR seRVice VesseLs twenty utility companies, shipowners and other stakeholders gathered in 2011 at dnV’s head office in oslo to discuss the classification of vessels involved in the offshore wind energy industry. the conclusions were several. First, it is expected that this will be an interesting and fast developing business sector. second, the need for in-service maintenance of an expected total of 10,000 wind turbines in the north sea Basin is significant. third, there was little coordinated guidance for service vessels involved in this work. dnV has now worked to fill that gap.
A naval architect and chartered engineer, ian edwards graduated from southampton university with a Masters degree in ship science before embarking on his career in the maritime industry, which commenced in the uK working for ship owners. the practical experience gained working within ship operations was an ideal building block as ian moved further into ship technical management and later newbuilding projects. this eventually led to assignments in both norway and south Korea, performing both plan approval and survey of new ship constructions on behalf of owners. in 2006 after 10 years working with ship owners, culminating with a role having responsibility as director of projects, ian joined dnV Maritime’s Approval centre norway where he remains today. ian is currently Head of section for Passenger, Ro-Ro, Light craft and naval ships.
wind projects located closer to shore are reached through day trips by high speed light craft, while sites located further offshore call for larger vessels with overnight stay capabilities. this represents an opportunity for the maritime industry, and calls for purpose-built ships.
© ulstein group
PRoJect MAnAgeR iaN eDWarDs
MaiNtaiNiNg WiND statiONs “Simpler and less expensive.” this was the refrain of those who seek wind power service vessels. Yet until dnv’s work in this area, no set of guidelines fully suited the specialisation required. Staff involved are not tourists or general passengers, but highly skilled workers with safety and security knowledge and supplies. dnv stepped forward, first out with classification rules, gaining contracts during 2011 totalling 30 specialised crafts, some in use already with others in the building stages.
rUle COVerage dnv’s work on the new class rules for purpose-built smaller wind farm service craft was launched in January 2011, and has been further developed during the year by this project team, taking into account experiences gained to date in the field. Further, to complete the service portfolio, dnv launched class rules for larger OSv-based wind project maintenance vessels in July. a teaM effOrt dnv staff have been working closely with the industry to develop and adapt the rules for wind project service craft. Based on industry feedback, dnv has postponed publishing permanent rules, opting for further study, analysis and feedback during early 2012. continuous development of the technical standards will ensure that they are suitably aligned with the needs of the industry and regulators, and sufficiently flexible and transparent. the most important steps have now begun to reduce risk in this cleaner energy working environment, in partnership between dnv and the industry.