Tag: marine coordination

SMC Awarded CVOW Marine Coordination Package

Posted: February 6th, 2023 in News

After a competitive review process, Specialist Marine Consultants (SMC) was selected by Dominion Energy to deliver a package of Marine Coordination support encompassing consultancy, training, and lead Marine Coordination for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project.

Located 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach, the project will generate enough clean, sustainable energy to power up to 660,000 homes once fully constructed.

Installation of the project is scheduled to be complete in late 2026, with SMC contracted to deliver support for the duration of the construction phase.

SMC have now been awarded over 70 Marine Coordination contracts globally – this unrivalled level of experience, including direct experience in new and emerging markets, remains a significant factor in the company’s ability to deliver safe and efficient solutions.

Both Dominion Energy and SMC have made a commitment to drive the development of local skillsets over the next 4-year period and beyond, with SMC providing a robust training programme of practical and theoretical learning that shall dovetail seamlessly into the framework of local jobs established by Dominion Energy.

George Moore, Business Development Director at SMC commented: “We are beyond thrilled to be able to announce such a significant partnership in what is set to become a real powerhouse of an offshore wind market in the coming years.

After years of discussions with the Dominion Energy team, it has become abundantly clear that the values of our two companies are extremely closely aligned and as such, this is a project we are very much looking forward to working on.

Together with Dominion Energy, we are confident in delivering a safe project, and we will use our experience to create a truly local, American Marine Coordination workforce that will support the project for many years to come”.

“SMC brings its decades of experience in marine coordination to our CVOW project, helping us advance offshore wind to bring clean, renewable energy to our customers,” said Michael Lundsgaard, Dominion Energy director of offshore wind. “SMC will support the safe construction of CVOW while developing a robust offshore wind work force in Hampton Roads.”

To learn more about the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind projects, please visit www.coastalvawind.com

Women In Maritime Day

Posted: May 24th, 2022 in News

Last week marked the International Maritime Organization running its inaugural #WomenInMaritimeDay

 

At SMC, we wholeheartedly support this initiative and, in keeping with its 2022 theme of improving the visibility of women within the industry, we are sharing an image of Faye, a Marine Project Manager at SMC who spent the past week visiting our clients and offshore teams currently operating out of France.

 

Faye joined SMC three years ago after successfully graduating university with a degree in modern languages, and has quickly become an integral part of the SMC Marine Department, supporting an array of projects throughout the UK, Europe and Asia.

 

SMC Score Dogger Bank Marine Coordination Package

Posted: March 8th, 2022 in News

Specialist Marine Consultants (SMC) have been awarded a holistic Marine Coordination services contract to work on all three phases of Dogger Bank Wind Farm.

 

SMC will deliver a turnkey Marine Coordination personnel solution in support of construction operations at what will become the world’s largest offshore windfarm when it’s completed in 2026.

 

George Moore, Business Development Director at SMC commented:

 

“We have been involved in operations at Dogger Bank Wind Farm since the days of the Forewind consortium. Dogger Bank is a local project for us and has remained a key area of focus for the company over the years. Confirmation of this award represents our 16th active Marine Coordination contract to be undertaken during 2022 and reaffirms our position as the market leader in delivering Marine Coordination services.

 

Over the past couple of years, we have delivered a range of services to the project, and the decision by Dogger Bank Wind Farm to extend our relationship is testament to the level of service we have been able to deliver. We’re keen to keep building on this relationship over the coming months and years, supporting Dogger Bank Wind Farm in delivering a truly world leading project and what will become the UK’s largest single source of offshore renewable energy”.

 

For reference, the Dogger Bank Wind Farm is a joint venture partnership between SSE Renewables (40%), Equinor (40%), and Eni (20%).

 

SSE Renewables is leading on the development and construction of the Dogger Bank Wind Farm, and Equinor will operate the windfarm on completion and during its expected operational life of around 35 years. SMC are currently supporting SSE Renewables with both Marine Coordination and Balance of Plant services during construction of the Seagreen offshore windfarm in Scotland.

 

Dogger Bank Wind Farm shall have a combined capacity of 3.6GW when completed and will be capable of powering 6 million UK homes. Visit https://doggerbank.com/ to find out more about the project, and https://smchse.com/ to learn more about SMC.

 

Dogger Bank Wind Farm facts:

 

The 3.6GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm when completed in 2026.

 

It is being built in three 1.2GW phases: Dogger Bank A, B and C.

 

The project is a joint venture between SSE Renewables (40%), Equinor (40%) and Eni (20%).

 

SSE Renewables is lead operator for the development and construction of Dogger Bank Wind Farm. Equinor will be lead operator of the wind farm on completion for its expected operational life of around 35 years.

 

Financial Close on Dogger Bank A and Dogger Bank B was reached in November 2020, with Financial Close for Dogger Bank C reached in December 2021. Taken in aggregate, reaching Financial Close on all three phases of Dogger Bank Wind Farm is the largest offshore wind project financing to date globally.

 

Consent for Dogger Bank Wind Farm was granted in 2015.

 

Each of the three phases of Dogger Bank Wind Farm secured 15-year CfD contracts for 1.2GW of low carbon power for of low carbon power production in the UK’s third CfD Allocation Round, announced September 2019.

 

In May 2021, Dogger Bank Wind Farm took another major step forward after passing a required delivery milestone under the UK’s Contracts for Difference scheme for low carbon power.

 

Dogger Bank Wind Farm is located in the North Sea, with each phase more than 130km from the Yorkshire Coast.

 

Onshore construction began in 2020 and is currently underway for Dogger Bank A and Dogger Bank B, with offshore construction on Dogger Bank A due to begin in Q2 2022. First power is expected in Summer 2023 and Summer 2024 for Dogger Bank A and B, respectively, with commercial operations to follow around 6 months later.

 

Onshore cable installation civils works for Dogger Bank C will start in Q1 2022, with construction of the onshore convertor station to commence in Q2 2022. Offshore export cable installation will commence in Q1 2024 with offshore platform installation to commence in Q2, 2024. Foundation installation will commence in Q3, 2024 while turbine installation will commence in Q2, 2025.

First power is anticipated in Q3, 2025 and full power in Q1, 2026.

 

More than 3000 new UK jobs have been announced so far that will be supported by the construction and operation of Dogger Bank Wind Farm.

 

These include up to 750 direct and around 1,500 indirect jobs associated with the set-up of a new world-class blade manufacturing facility on Teesside by LM Wind Power, a GE Renewable Energy business, with production due to start in 2023.

 

470 jobs are expected to be recruited by GE Renewable Energy across the north east of England in support of the delivery and operation of all three phases of the project. These will be made up of around 300 skilled roles for turbine installation and commissioning activities and 170 servicing roles at Port of Tyne under GE’s five-year Service and Warranty Agreements for Dogger Bank phases A, B and C once operational.

 

At least a further 30 roles will be hired by Equinor as operator of the wind farm, based at the Port of Tyne or offshore.

 

170 new full-time UK-based jobs will be created by North Star Renewables in crewing and shore-based roles for the operation of the service fleet for Dogger Bank Wind Farm.

 

Up to 100 peak construction jobs will be created by Jones Bros. Civil Engineering, one of the UK’s leading civil engineering contractors, on the installation of onshore cable infrastructure for Dogger Bank A and B.

 

Dogger Bank A and B has confirmed GE’s Haliade-X 13MW as the turbine powering the first two phases of the project. As the first order for the Haliade-X 13MW, installation at Dogger Bank A will be the first time the turbine is installed in the world.

 

Installation of GE’s upscaled Haliade-X 14MW turbine at Dogger Bank C will be the first time the 14MW turbine is installed in the world.

 

One rotation of the Haliade-X turbine blades can power one UK home for more than two days.

 

The wind turbines will be installed on monopile foundations.

 

Dogger Bank will be the first High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) connected wind farm in the UK due to its distance from shore, introducing new transmission systems to the UK and paving the way for other large offshore wind farms.

 

For more information about Dogger Bank Wind Farm visit www.doggerbank.com

SMC Recruit Locally in Taiwan

Posted: May 5th, 2021 in News

As SMC’s success in Taiwan continues, we have directly employed a further six Taiwanese nationals in support of our marine operations in-country. 

 

SMC first supported construction and commissioning of the Formosa 1 project, the country’s first commercial scale offshore windfarm, and have gone on to support a range of Developer and OEM clients across a further four Taiwanese offshore windfarm construction phase projects to date.  

 

Follow this link for more information relating to SMC Marine Coordination https://smchse.com/services/marine-services-marine-coordination-vessel-inspection-marine-consultancy/

Seagreen Marine Coordination

Posted: April 5th, 2021 in News

SMC have been awarded a turnkey contract to deliver Seagreen Offshore Windfarm’s Marine Coordination personnel throughout the construction and commissioning phases of the project. 

 

This contract represents our 5th Marine Coordination project in Scotland and our 60th globally.  

 

Follow this link to learn more about SMC Marine Coordination https://smchse.com/services/marine-services-marine-coordination-vessel-inspection-marine-consultancy/

 

To learn more about the Seagreen Offshore Wind project, visit https://www.seagreenwindenergy.com/

Changfang-Xidao (CFXD) Offshore Wind Farms choose SMC to deliver project Marine Coordination services

Posted: February 23rd, 2021 in News

SMC are set to deliver a turnkey marine coordination package for construction of the two windfarms, including the provision of both experienced Marine Coordination specialists and local Taiwanese personnel. SMC have previously supported CIP within the offshore wind sector during the construction of the Veja Mate Offshore Project (VMOP) in Germany.

Ryan Colbeck, Senior Project Manager for Changfang & Xidao had the following to say on the appointment of SMC:

“The CFXD team and SMC have a long-established relationship and we are happy to have them onboard again for our next Project in Taiwan.

SMC have not only established themselves as industry leaders in Taiwan, but they have also committed to invest in recruitment and training of local personnel, who will no doubt become the Taiwanese Marine Coordinators of the future in years to come. We know that with SMC by our side, our offshore operations and transfers will be managed safely and with the utmost professionalism.”

Thomas Barkley, Marine Operations Manager at SMC, stated:

“We are thrilled to be given the opportunity to again work on a project led by CIP. This contract represents our 8th Marine Coordination project in Taiwan, and we will bring forward all the lessons and experience we have gained from working in-country, as well as our 50+ strong Marine Coordination project portfolio in Europe, to ensure we deliver to the highest standards of safety and quality. We are excited to get to work and, in keeping with our commitments to local content and to empowering an offshore focused Taiwanese workforce, we look forward to recruiting and developing local professionals in support of our operations”.

The delivery of Marine Coordination services will commence in 2021 and continue for the duration of construction, with SMC supporting operations in-country and with additional remote support from the United Kingdom.

About Specialist Marine Consultants (SMC)

Formed in 2006, SMC is a global supplier to the offshore sector, delivering core services, including Marine Consultancy, Marine Coordination, Vessel Inspection and Asset Inspection and Maintenance.

A recent recipient of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise, SMC continue to maintain their position as a trusted supplier and partner to the world’s leading offshore developers, OEMs and EPCIs worldwide.

SMC operate offices in the United Kingdom, the EU and Asia, with further announcements expected throughout the course of 2021.

 

To learn more about our Marine Coordination services, see https://smchse.com/services/marine-services-marine-coordination-vessel-inspection-marine-consultancy/

SMC Support NKT at Dogger Bank

Posted: January 5th, 2021 in News

SMC have been awarded a contract to support NKT with Marine Coordination and Vessel Inspection services in support of their commitments to the Dogger Bank offshore windfarm.  

 

SMC will be providing a turnkey solution to the project, which is located in close proximity to our head office on the East Coast of Yorkshire.  Innovative communications and tracking solutions have been integrated into the service provision, inclusive of SMC’s proprietary Marine Coordination software, ATLAS.

 

To learn more about SMC’s Marine Services, check out https://smchse.com/services/marine-services-marine-coordination-vessel-inspection-marine-consultancy/

 

Remote demonstrations of our ATLAS software, and overviews of our service offering can be provided upon request. Visit ‘Contact Us’ to get in touch and arrange a meeting https://smchse.com/contact-us/

SMC Secures Marine Coordination on Formosa 2 offshore windfarm

Posted: March 5th, 2020 in News

SMC have secured a contract to provide holistic Marine Coordination services to the Formosa 2 offshore windfarm in Taiwan.

The Formosa 2 project represents SMC’s 5th Marine Coordination contract award in Taiwan and the company’s 40th globally.

As with the Formosa 1 (phase 2) project, SMC will work with SeaPlanner and local communications company, Mercury Data Systems, to deliver a comprehensive marine coordination solution, comprising design, communications infrastructure, marine management software and service delivery throughout the duration of the construction phase.

In-line with Formosa 2 and SMC’s commitment to training and developing local talent, SMC will be integrating Taiwanese nationals within the Marine Coordination team. Local personnel will work alongside SMC’s experienced marine professionals, developing key practical and theoretical skillsets and providing a vital point of liaison for local authorities and third parties.

SMC Taiwan Manager, Dean Coates, commented, “Taiwan remains a key area of focus for SMC and we are extremely pleased to be able to build upon our early success and lessons learned in the region. As a company, we are proud of our track record in developing personnel and indeed in training local people. We now have a strong pipeline of work established in Taiwan for the coming years and it’s fantastic that we’ve been able to recruit locally, delivering knowledge and expertise that can hopefully benefit the region and its people for many years”.

Formosa 2 is jointly owned by Macquarie, Swancor and Jera and will consist of 47 Siemens Gamesa 8.0 – 167 turbines, located four kilometres offshore of Miaoli County in the Taiwan Strait. The 367MW project will become one of the largest offshore windfarms in Taiwan once it is commissioned.”

To learn more about our Marine Services, check out https://smchse.com/services/marine-services-marine-coordination-vessel-inspection-marine-consultancy/

Visit http://www.searoc.com for an overview of our chosen software for the Formosa 2 project (SeaPlanner Marine Management System).

SMC awarded Triton Knoll contract

Posted: November 30th, 2019 in News

  • SMC to supply marine coordination, technician and inspection services during construction

  • Contract can support local jobs and international growth

Up to 35 new jobs could be created in the Grimsby coastal community as Triton Knoll continues to drive investment into the region’s rapidly expanding offshore support sector.

Specialist Marine Consultants Ltd (SMC) is the latest local company to be awarded a contract by the Triton Knoll Offshore Wind Farm project, which is led by Innogy.

This latest contract will provide much needed experience for new and upcoming talent in the industry and will help SMC grow a workforce for the future – strengthening its expertise and competitiveness in global markets like Japan and Taiwan.

Julian Garnsey, Project Director for Triton Knoll and Innogy, said the contract was great for the project and for the local area: “SMC is a competitive company with ambitions for growth in offshore wind, having transitioned from the oil and gas industry into the renewables sector”.

“We are very pleased to have their expertise onboard at Triton Knoll and to be supporting their growth and all that brings with it – opportunities for jobs and for investment into the north east coastal region”.

 “The commitment of Triton Knoll to engage local, competitive businesses is a direct reflection of our desire to help develop the UK supply chain’s capability and encourage the export of UK offshore wind expertise around the world.”

Triton Knoll is a state-of-the-art 857MW offshore wind farm, consisting of 90 of the world’s most powerful turbines, and representing a significant investment in new UK energy infrastructure.

Offshore construction is due to start in Q1 2020, during which SMC will provide marine coordination services. They will also provide some 30 site technicians to maintain the offshore foundations and assets, which includes the statutory inspections and testing requirements for the assets to remain in service and accessible. In addition to the personnel supply, SMC shall be providing, managing and re-certifying specialist offshore Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), and will also be responsible for Triton Knoll’s inspection requirements for the vessels required to build the wind farm located 20 miles out in the North Sea.

The offshore activity will take place out of Triton Knoll’s new, multi-million-pound base being constructed in Grimsby, and which is already the focal point for recruitment and training both for the project and for SMC.

Captain Ian Coates established SMC in 2006 and it has since grown from a single employee to a business of over 170 people at peak times, with teams now located and leading projects around the world.

He said: “This contract award with Triton Knoll is fantastic; a real milestone for us”.

 “It is an important step in our ambitions for growth, and means we now have the chance to employ more people from the area. Locally, we would hope to create around 35 jobs through the construction period – bringing new people into the sector and hopefully retaining them to work on future projects. We will also be investing in kit from local regional and UK suppliers, as well as using local vessel inspectors”.

“Offshore wind offers some great, long-term opportunities for young people, with the chance of jobs for life and fantastic opportunities for progression. Contracts like this with Triton Knoll mean we can give new people a taste of offshore life and hopefully develop and integrate them into both our own business and the wider sector.”

Located 32km off the Lincolnshire coast, Triton Knoll is the largest offshore wind farm currently in construction by Innogy and once fully operational will be capable generating renewable energy equivalent to the needs of over 800,000 typical UK households. (2)

The project is owned by Innogy (59%), J-Power (25%) and Kansai Electric Power (16%), with Innogy managing the construction as well as the long-term operation and maintenance works, on behalf of its project partners.

 

Click https://www.tritonknoll.co.uk/ to learn more about the project

SMC awarded Marine Coordination on Yunlin, Taiwan

Posted: November 5th, 2019 in News

SMC have been awarded a contract to provide Marine Coordination services across wpd’s 640MW Yunlin offshore windfarm project in Taiwan.

Yunlin will be built eight kilometres off the Taiwanese west coast and will become Taiwan’s largest commercial offshore windfarm, when commissioned, consisting of 80 Siemens Gamesa 8MW class WTGs.

This award represents SMC’s 4th Marine Coordination contract in Taiwan and their 39th globally. Once again SMC will be working with SeaPlanner’s Marine Management System to ensure the safe and efficient delivery of services throughout the project.

Dean Coates, SMC Operations Director and Taiwan Manager, stated, “Once again we are proud to be at the forefront of delivering Marine Coordination services in Taiwan. Our experience working in the region will be used to great effect as we support Yunlin in delivering a successful project. We are extremely pleased to have our first opportunity to work for wpd and we can’t wait to get started. This project will also provide us with the opportunity to develop local skill sets – something we remain committed to both in Europe and the APAC region”.

The Yunlin project is 73% owned by wpd and 27% owned by a Sojitz Corp-led consortium which includes Chugoku Electric Power Co. Inc., Chudenko Corporation, Shikoku Electric Power Co., Inc., and JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation.

 

Check out our Marine Services here https://smchse.com/services/marine-services-marine-coordination-vessel-inspection-marine-consultancy/

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