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The North Sea, cradle of innovation through the ages, has long challenged those brave enough to harness its power. Its harsh weather and relentless waves have shaped not only the coastline but also its economy and a spirit of invention. From the Vikings, whose longships advanced through the tempests, to modern engineers facing the winds and waves head-on on oil rigs and increasingly on offshore wind farms, this is a place where adversity breeds innovation.
The Odfjell Oceanwind Legacy
Facing the monumental challenge of supporting a 130m tall tower, equipped with a turbine with 100m blades rotating at high speeds atop the relentless waves in harsh environments, demands a foundation as solid and reliable as the Odfjell Oceanwind legacy. With 50 years of semi-submersible drilling rig experience and over two decades in developing floating wind foundations, we are uniquely equipped for this task.
The Deepsea Star™ Philosophy: Built for Harsh Weather conditions.
The Deepsea Star™ is at the heart of our venture into floating offshore wind, engineered with a multi-location philosophy. Its design basis principles draw inspiration from drilling rigs, with the idea that if it can withstand the harshest weather conditions, then the same design can be utilized in most locations. This approach paves the way for mass production as it allows us to standardize the foundation eliminating the need for re-design and comprehensive qualification processes for each new location.
Expanding Horizons Beyond the North Sea
Our design is based on the harsh conditions of the North Sea, Norwegian Sea, Barents Sea and the region West of Shetland, where we have been operating for more than 50 years with our floating drilling rigs. We have applied metocean data from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute from these regions and designed our floater for the worst possible envelope. We have also included Celtic Sea due to the significant floating ambitions in that region.
Unsurprisingly, when evaluating new locations, we consistently find that the Deepsea Star™ is capable of handling a wide range of metocean conditions. Perhaps more surprisingly, areas previously deemed off-limits for floating wind have been confirmed to fall within our design specifications. This was the case with four locations along the south and west coasts of Ireland, all of which were found to be within the design basis for our Deepsea Star™. Again, this reaffirms our philosophy: a singular design optimized for mass production can be applicable in most harsh environment locations. Looking further afield, we anticipate that much of the Atlantic coast off France—including Brittany—along with northern Spain and Portugal, will fall within our design basis.
Chartering New Waters in Ireland, Britanny and Biscay
By having the harsh conditions of the North Sea as a standard, we have verified that our design is suitable for most North Atlantic locations, from Ireland and then most likely the coasts of France, Spain and Portugal. This not only shows our semi-submersible foundation's versatility but also sets the stage for its standardization and mass production.
Drawing from a rich lineage of innovation, stretching from ancient longships to contemporary offshore rigs and wind farms, the Deepsea Star™ stands as our response to the North Sea's call for innovation. It opens the door for other harsh weather locations to tap into vast wind energy resources.
