New Industry Guideline on Seafastening: Accelerates Offshore Wind Deployment and Saves Tons of Steel

The WIS – Wind Industry Standardization project was initiated in late 2023. Now its first result is launched: the WIS Seafastening Design Guideline. 

Led by Siemens Gamesa and Vestas, this industry-wide initiative introduces a common standard for seafastening design of wind turbine components on the installation vessels. 

Thousands of tons of steel 

A modern wind turbine installation vessel carrying five or six turbines at a time requires several thousand tons of steel on the deck in seafastening structures to keep nacelles, towers and blades secure on the transit from the harbor to the installation site. 

With the new guideline, seafastening can be reused across multiple projects, reducing the amount of steel scrapped, the hours spent on design, manufacturing, certification, etc.  

At the same time, it has the potential to significantly reduce vessel modification time between projects - helping to reduce a well-recognised bottleneck in the industry and directly accelerating offshore wind deployment. 

"Standardizing seafastening is a logical step that benefits the entire industry without compromising competition. After a year of dedicated work, we are proud to see these guidelines being adopted," says Brian Mikkelsen, SVP, Nacelles R&D from Vestas. 

Siemens Gamesa highlights the operational impact: 

"This means fewer days spent in port and more time at sea installing turbines. It directly improves the speed and efficiency of offshore wind deployment," says Jesper Møller, Chief Engineer Offshore Execution from Siemens Gamesa. 

Broad Industry Support 

Ørsted’s installation projects are among the first to implement the guideline: 

"We appreciate the effort made by the OEM’s and it is a significant step in the right direction for our industry. We will work on incorporating the WIS Seafastening Design Guideline into our upcoming projects and look forward to realizing its benefits across the supply chain," says Charlotte Krogh, Head of Offshore Construction & Logistics from Ørsted. 

Havfram, a key offshore installation and marine services provider, emphasizes the significance of seafastening standardization: 

"This initiative enables us to serve our customers even better by being able to offer better flexibility and directly contributes to reducing the industry's carbon footprint," says Håkon Halseth Johannessen, Head of Engineering & Technology from Havfram. 

The guideline has been developed with support from key industry players, including Havfram, Cadeler, Fred Olsen Wind Carrier, Van Oord, RWE, Vattenfall, Equinor and more:

The new seafastening guideline is a great example of locking in the potential of an obvious and necessary standardization in the offshore wind industry. The reduced mob & demob durations will result in a higher utilization rate of the installation vessels, reduced CAPEX and reduced unnecessary waste of steel. In short, all stakeholders benefit, and it brings all of us a step closer to fossil freedom.  
- Thomas Deelen, Product Portfolio Director T&I, Vattenfall 

Collaboration among supply chain stakeholders plays a significant role in promoting innovation and sustainability in offshore wind. The WIS project has brought together industry leaders to develop best practices that have the potential of improving operational efficiency and reducing environmental impact. 
- Maria Lindhoff Kjær, Vice President Product Lines, Equinor 
 
Fred. Olsen Windcarrier welcomes initiatives that enables the offshore wind industry supply chain to execute more efficiently, improve sustainability and reduce costs. The Wind Industry Standardization (WIS) represents a valuable step in the right direction. 
- Axel Wullf Wathne, Head of Engineering, Fred. Olsen Windcarrier  

The ability to reuse equipment and standardize operations across projects is a game-changer. With WIS, we can now execute offshore wind installations faster, more sustainably, and with greater cost efficiency. 
- Héloïse Vignal, Vice President - Head of Project Engineering, Cadeler 

More Cooperation to come

According to Vestas and Siemens Gamesa this result is the first of many. There are already several ongoing standardization projects. For example, on tower transport equipment and tower stand for pre-assembly. 

“There is still significant potential to make the industry more resource- and cost-efficient by maturing the supply chain. This is a shared journey for the entire industry, and as OEMs, we are committed to doing our part.” says Brian Mikkelsen, SVP, Nacelles R&D from Vestas. 

 ”We have several good projects ongoing already, but we don’t have all the answers. We know, that there is great ideas in every step of the supply chain, and we welcome everyone to engage with Energy Cluster Denmark to share ideas and drive progress together.” says Jesper Møller, Chief Engineer Offshore Execution from Siemens Gamesa. 

The Wind Industry Standardization (WIS) project is funded by the industry itself, with Siemens Gamesa and Vestas as sponsors and main contributors, alongside a broad range of industry participants. Energy Cluster Denmark are facilitating the collaboration, ensuring strong industry alignment and implementation. 

WindEurope Launch event 

Join us for the launch of the Seafastening Design Guideline at WindEurope on April 10 from 12:15–13:30 in Meeting Room 18, Bella Center. Key industry players will share how standardization can help accelerate offshore wind deployment. The event is open to all registered EuroWind participants.

Read more about the event here.