The Catalytic Role of Anchor Handlers in Floating Wind Technology
The nascent floating offshore wind business is set to spur demand for a fleet of newly built specialized anchor handlers. A meticulous study of the convoluted market dynamics and technical components provides profound insights into the specific necessities for anchor handlers in floating offshore wind. At this juncture, floating wind is considered an emergent technology, primarily deployed in small-scale pilot projects. By the close of 2022, the overall commissioned capacity of floating wind was still under 200 megawatts on a global scale.
Averting the Shortage: Meeting the Growing Demand
Yet, the next decade promises to witness an impressive surge in this sector. By 2030, commercial-scale wind farms with capacities close to 6.5 gigawatts are slated for commissioning primarily in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. The prediction for floating installed capacity points towards a whopping 63 GW by 2035. While the experience in the bottom-fixed industry will serve as a guide, floating wind projects will bring forth many unique challenges, particularly concerning the manufacture and installment of floating turbines.
Meeting Unique Challenges in Wind Technology
Significantly, there will be a pressing need for large anchor handlers and monumental subsea construction vessels to install the mooring systems designed for floating wind turbines. These are crucial to holding the floating turbines steadily in place, towing them from the harbor and securing them to the pre-installed mooring systems. According to a comprehensive review of technical components, Intelatus reveals the ideal size of existing anchor handling tug supply vessels for mooring pre-lay should possess a bollard pull of a minimum of 250 tonnes and a back deck of over 800 square meters.
The Gradual Shift towards Hybrid Anchor Handlers
As the demand in floating wind continues to rise, the resulting shorter supply will be further exacerbated by the resurgence in deepwater oil and gas. This industry requires large anchor handlers and subsea construction vessels. With a myriad of floating wind design concepts, numerous anchorage types, and a variety of mooring line materials, achieving a single dominant project solution may prove elusive, justifying the need for flexible installation vessels. As per our study, the most efficient installation vessels for floating wind ventures will likely comprise not only large anchor handlers or subsea construction vessels, but essentially hybrid anchor handlers.
Design Evolution in the Interest of Offshore Wind Farming
In the interest of catering to developers and project engineers who have to contend with various floating wind technologies, several industry participants are currently developing vessel concepts specific to the floating wind industry, which are more evolved versions of traditional designs. Such specialized vessels are likely to attract higher costs than their existing counterparts, with potential estimates falling in the realm of $175-200 million. An array of shipbuilders, predominantly in countries like China, Norway, and Singapore, are currently grappling with the issues of low utilization and new building activity in the OSV sector since 2014. With that in mind, the conundrum of financing new vessels leaves them on a tight leash. To mitigate the projected severity of vessel shortages, the floating wind industry will need these crucial queries resolved sooner rather than later.
