Port of Aberdeen has welcomed more than 100 vessels working on offshore wind projects to the port so far this year, including the latest arrival of the Blue Tern jack-up installation vessel.
Owned by Fred. Olsen Windcarrier, the Blue Tern jack-up is a 151-meter-long, 50-meter-wide vessel equipped with an 800-ton crane, and has recently sailed into the new Aberdeen South Harbour.
Roddy James, Chief Commercial Officer, Port of Aberdeen, said: “Offshore wind is our most significant opportunity for growth over the next decade. The sector currently accounts for 10% of our overall vessel traffic and with ScotWind, INTOG, and other developments on the horizon, we expect that figure to increase significantly in the coming years.”
Port of Aberdeen says that the port's strategic location, world-class infrastructure, and access to an unrivaled supply chain has resulted in the port increasingly being utilized for offshore wind projects.
A wide range of vessels - including large cable layers, construction, installation, survey, and service operation vessels (SOVs) - working on wind farms such as Seagreen, Moray East, and Moray West now regularly call at the port.
"The port has supported wind developments for many years, and its North Harbour is the operations and maintenance base for Aberdeen Offshore Wind Farm and Kincardine Offshore Floating Wind Farm.
The transformational South Harbour development offers 1.5km of deepwater berths (9 to 15 meters deep) and can accommodate ships up to 300 metres in length. It also offers extensive heavy-lift zones, 125,000m2 of flexible laydown space at the quayside, expansive project areas and is located adjacent to the Energy Transition Zone," the Port of Aberdeen said in a statement on Thursday.
James added: “Our £400 million investment in Aberdeen South Harbour positions the expanded port, and wider north east supply chain, to play a pivotal role in Scotland’s next generation of offshore wind. We’re engaging across industry and government to understand what’s required from ports to support these projects and discuss how the expanded Port of Aberdeen can unlock value across the offshore wind lifecycle.”