The Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, in partnership with the National Shipbuilding Office and The Crown Estate, have announced the appointment of leading shipbuilder APCL Cammell Laird to carry out a detailed analysis of the future market opportunity for UK built ships in offshore wind.
With over 850GW of offshore wind capacity expected to be installed globally by 2050, there is a need for major growth in the production of Service Operation Vessels (SOVs) to support this expansion. SOVs are designed to provide efficient servicing and maintenance of offshore wind farms by, in effect, becoming mobile offshore operations & maintenance bases. They are a crucial part of supporting the growth of offshore wind.
Analysis carried out by ORE Catapult shows that hundreds of these ships are likely to be in operation around the world in the years to come, with an associated global market of nearly £35bn between now and 2050.
The UK has a proud shipbuilding heritage, but pathways must be found for how the country can transfer this to industries that are set to play crucial roles in the future Net Zero economy, like offshore wind. This work will help to develop knowledge of how the UK can provide vessel manufacturing to support offshore wind, delivering jobs and economic investment to communities around the country.
Lauren Hadnum, Clean Maritime Manager at ORE Catapult, said:
“We know that for the UK to tap into the full potential offered by offshore wind, we’re going to need to dramatically increase the number of vessels that are able to maintain the turbines of the future. It’s vital, therefore, that we work to ensure as many of those vessels as possible can be manufactured in British shipyards.
“This work will help us to better understand what needs done to make this a reality, and outline ways in which industry and government can work together to develop a successful and joined up approach to UK shipbuilding for offshore wind.”
Will Apps, Offshore Wind Strategy Director at The Crown Estate, said:
“The UK is one of the world’s leading offshore wind energy producers, second only to China, and will rapidly increase the scale of offshore deployment to deliver the Government’s 2030 clean power targets. Developing the domestic supply chain will be an essential factor in our continued success and we expect a significant uplift in demand for SOVs in the coming years, with the potential to create jobs and economic growth within communities around the UK.
“One particularly interesting output from the study will be the feasibility assessment of low or no emission SOVs operating in the UK, acknowledging the importance of decarbonising the offshore wind sector itself and of the operation and maintenance of windfarms.”