Large offshore wind energy projects that are underway in Europe require special ships to service the turbines. Click on the photo to read the New York Times article.
With ocean-going trade slackening amid the global recession, shipping companies and shipyard operators in Europe are finding the offshore wind industry to be a welcome ally in weathering the bad times. In a deal struck earlier this month, for example, the shipping giant Maersk has agreed to lease about 100,000 square meters of its Lindo shipping facility on the Danish island of Funen — about 10 percent of the total area of the shipyard — to a maker of wind turbine foundations.
Meanwhile, stakeholders have called on investors to support the building of new ships designed specifically to serve the offshore wind energy market in coming years, saying, “From 2020 we will see 40,000 megawatts per year built offshore. This will require 10 to 12 new heavy lift vessels, other vessels for transporting foundations, towers, nacelles and blading systems. New ports will have to be built across Europe.”