Maritime UK has launched its Offshore Wind Plan that makes a series of recommendations for how the maritime sector, the offshore wind sector, and governments can work together to maximise growth.
It outlines how the growth of offshore wind can provide opportunities across the maritime supply chain in sectors like ports, shipbuilding, crewing and professional services.
The plan was unveiled at the ORE Catapult’s Operations & Maintenance Centre of Excellence in Grimsby, with the support of Associated British Ports.
Opportunities identified in the Offshore Wind Plan include building vessels in the UK to support developments and further growing UK ports as centres for manufacturing and assembly for offshore developments.
In partnership with Renewable UK, the launch of the Offshore Wind Plan will also see the birth of a new partnership between the Maritime and Renewable sectors.
This aims to bring industry partners and government departments together to focus on delivering the plan’s recommendations.
These are creating quality career pathways for young people; rewarding higher UK supply chain content in offshore wind projects; reforming the planning system to enable green projects to be delivered quicker; and encouraging lenders and investors to finance infrastructure and vessels.
ORE Catapult estimates that 149 Surface Operation Vessels (SOVs) will be needed to serve rapidly expanding offshore wind developments in Europe by 2030, and up to 309 by 2050.
The ports sector has a well-established capability to support the offshore green energy sector.
The UK’s bold growth ambition for floating offshore wind provides a transformational opportunity to turbo charge the investment and good jobs the sector enables.
Maritime UK chair Robin Mortimer said: "The maritime sector already plays a key role in our collective efforts to deliver a cleaner and more sustainable future by the middle of this century.
“Maritime UK’s Offshore Wind Plan sets out how delivering energy security through growing offshore wind can drive economic growth and job creation across the country through the maritime supply chain.
“With its people, expertise, equipment and infrastructure, the maritime sector is present throughout the lifecycle of offshore wind and is uniquely placed to deliver well-paid, high-quality jobs and new industries, particularly in coastal towns and cities.”
Source: Renews
