Guest Column: Safety Concerns in Offshore Wind Sector

Tighter regulations are needed to prevent future incidents.

Published Jan 29, 2014 1:00 PM by The Maritime Executive

By Ben Colman

Recently the UK and European offshore wind crew transfer vessel market has witnessed a number of thankfully minor and yet worrying incidents, sparking concern about safety standards in the sector and leading to calls for tighter legislation regarding vessel operators, vessel design and safety standards.

As the crew transfer market has developed and grown, so too has the number of associated incidents. These have ranged from comparatively minor collisions with turbine foundations and other vessels to more significant offshore collisions and, at the most severe, incidents involving total loss such as last month’s sinking of the ECC Topaz off the Suffolk coast following an onboard fire.

Thankfully, none of these incidents resulted in loss of life but, understandably, the spotlight is now very much on the industry, and already we are beginning to hear murmurs of the need for increased regulation of vessel design and higher standards of crew training and qualification.

Some of this focus has naturally been directed towards WFSV (wind farm service vessel) manufacturers. Vessel design and innovation must be shaped by the need to ensure crew and passenger safety. Boatbuilders such as Alicat & South Boats IOW have been tasked with developing the next generation of larger, more capable and, most importantly, safer vessels to cope with the increasing demands of servicing offshore wind developments.

These vessels are built under survey by classification societies, who are ultimately responsible for issuing class and flag certification and deeming them fit for operation. Before a vessel can enter the water, stringent requirements for fire protection and crew safety need to be met.

Significant Differences in Standards

Building a vessel to class under survey is a costly procedure that ensures the operator receives the highest quality craft possible. Nonetheless, there are still significant differences in standards between rival classification societies operating in the offshore wind space.

We believe that, in working with DNV, we are building WFSVs to the very best, most stringent standards around, and we are proud to meet and often exceed DNV’s requirements. It is a source of concern that the criteria of some other classification societies are less strict, meaning that certification can be easier to obtain. Likewise, we are beginning to see a great deal more retrospective classification of vessels not originally built to class. These are of a very different standard from newbuilds constructed under survey by DNV.

Nevertheless, once a vessel has been passed from the builder to the owner or operator along with the relevant classification, flag survey reports and certification, it ultimately becomes the operator’s responsibility to ensure that safety standards are upheld. In practice, this means guaranteeing that crews and workers are correctly educated and trained in how to use all onboard safety equipment, adhere to the company’s safety management policy and, of course, keep up to date with all planned maintenance procedures.

However, despite the best efforts of WFSV operators and builders in the current environment, there have inevitably been calls for tighter regulation in the sector - and justifiably so. The industry cannot wait for a fatality to occur to drive stricter legislation. Offshore wind developments require a diverse range of vessel types and sizes, which are often determined by project demands and cost.

But cost considerations should never take precedence over the safety of crew and workers. Yet, with more than 300 vessels currently available to the industry, the majority of accidents has involved smaller, unclassified craft, which, despite meeting flag requirements, are not capable of meeting the demands of offshore wind projects.

I would therefore argue that additional legislation is required to promote vessels built under survey by a classification society. Debate continues surrounding the optimum configuration of vessels, the materials used, and equipment on board. However, ultimately this needs to be dictated by tightly regulated classification authorities governing vessel production from start to finish. – MarEx

Ben Colman is Sales & Marketing Manager at UK boatbuilder Alicat & South Boats IOW.