Two companies that provide dockside loading equipment have secured funding from The Crown Estate to develop a heavy lift operations and maintenance (O&M) hub at Port Talbot in Wales.
The money was granted through The Crown Estate’s innovative Supply Chain Accelerator programme, a £50m fund intended to catalyse the supply chain capacity to support offshore wind.
Tugdock and Sarens secured the match funding for a joint project to develop the O&M hub at ABP’s port.
With ABP’s support – along with that of other major industry players, such as RWE, and other partnerships – the vision is fr the facility to provide world-class support for heavy lifting equiment used in offshore wind projects in the Celtic Sea.
Port Talbot’s strategic location near that sea makes it an optimal hub for supporting floating offshore wind projects, significantly reducing transit times and operational costs for maintenance, assembly, and logistics.
Lucas Lowe Houghton, chief revenue officer at Tugdock, said: “The Tugdock and Sarens O&M facility is poised to boost the competitiveness of Port Talbot in both the national and global floating offshore wind markets in the years to come.
“Collectively we will ensure that ABP’s Port Talbot is enabled with a heavy lift facility that can attract and retain major clients and maintain the UK’s leading position in the floating offshore wind industry. By leveraging this opportunity we aim to unlock local steel and concrete manufacturing by offering a range of solutions for assembly, loadout and launching.”
Sarens is a global leader in crane rental services, heavy lifting and engineered transport. Tugdock, meanwhile, specialises in engineering and deployment of Tugdock Submersible Platforms (TSPs) for offshore transport and logistics projects.
The Tugdock technology consists of modular road transportable steel space frames using patented inflatable Tugdock Buoyancy Units (TBUs). These are filled with compressed air and can be inflated or deflated as required to provide the required buoyancy, stability and control for operations such as load outs, floating, submerging, and lifting.
By confining the TBUs into a space frame configuration and deck arrangement, the company says the product can be used as additional buoyancy modules or as submersible platforms up to 120m x 120m. It is a lighter, shallow drafted, quicker, and more cost-effective alternative to a steel hulled barges, floating docks, or large port infrastructure developments.
The partnership between Sarens and Tugdock enables the two companies to jointly offer novel solutions to the fast-growing floating offshore wind industry.
Carl Sarens, director of global operations, technical solutions and engineering at Sarens, said: “The Sarens and Tugdock O&M hub will provide a wide range of services including heavy lifting equipment such as cranes and TSPs, assembly areas, storage, training, and consultancy.
“This all-encompassing service model reduces the need for clients to engage multiple contractors, simplifying project management and reducing overall costs. The Tugdock and Sarens O&M hub will help create significant employment opportunities at Port Talbot, both directly and indirectly, contributing to regional economic development.”
Celtic blueprint
In early 2024, The Crown Estate published the Celtic Sea Blueprint, which predicted that 5,300 jobs and a £1.4bn economic boost could be generated through deploying the first floating offshore wind capacity, that will result from the current Leasing Round 5 process, in the waters off South Wales and South West England.
The research highlighted a number of opportunities for supply chain growth essential for the development of these floating wind farms, including floating platform components; dynamic cables and connections; wet storage infrastructure and facilities; operations and management infrastructure and facilities; and skills transition facilities.
The Crown Estate says its role is to create long-term value for the country, and it focuses on using the land and seabed it manages to help catalyse net zero, restore nature, create thriving communities and drive economic growth.
Will Apps, offshore wind strategy director at The Crown Estate, said: “It’s fantastic to announce the successful organisations receiving funding through our Supply Chain Accelerator. We’ve been encouraged by the level of interest the Accelerator has generated in the market and are delighted with the calibre and range of projects which we’ll be supporting.
“The purpose of the Accelerator is to help grow and nurture the UK’s domestic supply chain, a crucial factor if the UK is to realise the potential of offshore wind in delivering its ambitious clean power and net zero goals, contributing to jobs and prosperity in communities across the UK.”
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