Offshore wind energy: It goes out to sea for meeting | EUROtoday

As of seven:31 a.m | Reading time: 5 minutes

ZTwo weeks of labor, two weeks of free time, that's an uncommon rhythm in Germany. But on the “REM Energy” it at all times works that approach. The ship is touring on the North Sea with its service technicians to take care of wind generators from the German-Spanish producer Siemens Gamesa.

Siemens Gamesa has chartered the particular ship, inbuilt 2021, from the Norwegian delivery firm REM Offshore, initially till 2026: “We need the most modern ship possible for many different reasons,” says Stephan Hauhs, Aera Service Manager and Managing Director of Siemens Gamesa Germany: “To do that The goal of achieving zero accidents at work in order to be able to offer the seafarers and our service technicians the best possible workplace at sea, and of course for a highly efficient everyday work routine when maintaining the wind turbines.”

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The “REM Energy” normally travels greater than 100 kilometers from the North Sea coast to the Global Tech 1 wind farm. The service technicians normally go on and off the ship in Bremerhaven or Emden. On today, nevertheless, the “REM Energy”, 90 meters lengthy and 19.60 meters vast, is moored subsequent to the cruise terminal on Steinwerder in Hamburg. The crew is swapped and the technicians who disembark and are available on board attend a seminar from their employer within the Hanseatic metropolis earlier than setting sail. There are presently round 1,600 wind generators within the German sea areas of the North and Baltic Seas, which is a complete put in capability of round 8.5 gigawatts. Offshore wind energy is ready to be expanded considerably in lots of European nations within the coming years – Germany alone needs to attain an put in capability of 30 gigawatts by 2030. So far, there’s a lack of every thing for this crash program: port services, industrial capability, expert staff and particular ships.

Having ships just like the “REM Energy” below contract is a key issue for the upcoming progress of an organization like Siemens Gamesa. The firm's offshore wind generators are visited by service technicians three to 5 occasions a yr. “From an economic perspective, it’s about minimizing the downtime of the wind turbines for our customers so that the systems can generate electricity reliably for as long as possible,” says Hauhs. For this, the corporate wants extremely certified and glad workers: “It is very important for us – in the competition for skilled workers and young talent – ​​to make such a ship an attractive place to work.” Siemens Gamesa presently has round 250 offshore workers in Germany. Service technicians employed, and the pattern is rising. In addition to our personal technicians, exterior technicians and subcontractors journey on the ships.

The “REM Energy” is a mix of a high-tech work ship, spare elements warehouse, workplace ground – and a spot the place service technicians and nautical crew ought to really feel snug after work. This features a mini cinema and a health studio, in addition to lounges and a large number corridor with 4 meals a day. There are some single, however particularly double cabins. A double cab is at all times obtainable to every service technician for eleven hours alone. If there’s a double occupancy, the opposite particular person works throughout this era. A shift lasts twelve hours plus an hour break, adopted by eleven hours of relaxation.

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In the early part of offshore wind energy 15 years in the past, the businesses concerned within the development and operation of the marine wind farms chartered virtually every thing that was obtainable and appeared nautically acceptable. At that point there have been hardly any extremely specialised ships for the upkeep of the programs. One of the main advances on board the “REM Energy” is the gangway on which technicians go from the ship to the wind generators and again. “The REM Energy has a hydraulic system for the gangway and for the cranes,” says André da Silva Marquez, website supervisor and liable for the supervision of Siemens Gamesa on the “REM Energy”. “In waves, the crane load and also the bridge for the service technicians to transfer to the wind turbines and from there back on board always remain at the same height.” Supported by this system, the technicians may safely function even in wave heights of three to three.50 meters Reaching the office on the turbine: “If necessary, the ship can maximally compensate for waves of up to 5.50 meters high. But in such sea conditions the wind turbines would no longer be able to be worked on.”

The security necessities and rules for working at sea are strict, says da Silva Marquez: “The service technicians take a maximum of one backpack with them when they go to the wind turbines, for example with their food and drink in it. The crane hoists your material and tools onto and from the wind turbine.” On the wind turbine, its personal crane lifts the fabric from the entry platform up into the machine home. However, if a big element on a wind turbine, akin to a rotor blade, must be changed, a particular meeting ship is used that has a number of a lot bigger cranes.

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Maximilian Rodrigues Fröhlich is a type of younger people who firms like Siemens Gamesa are urgently in search of. “My father works at Siemens. That's why I came up with the idea early on to pursue a career in the energy industry. Doing something with 'green energy' is really exciting,” says the trainee, who’s in his second yr of coaching as an electronics technician for industrial expertise at Siemens Gamesa. As a 24-year-old, he has been at sea twice for work: “The training as a service technician also offers the prospect of being able to work in different countries later.”

Out at sea, in lots of nations around the globe, Captain Hristo Vasilev from Bulgaria has been working for many years. He used to sail on tankers, container ships, vehicle transporters and bulk carriers. In 2008 he switched to the offshore wind energy business. Vasilev is liable for a crew of 23 and 53 service technicians on the “REM Energy”. He notably likes that, says the sailor on the spacious ship's bridge with a powerful panoramic view of the port of Hamburg: “Here we don't work with cargo, but with people.”