How dovetailed technical and logistics services boost maintenance work at offshore wind farms
Thanks to its portfolio of technical services, XERVON Wind helps wind farms in the North Sea and Baltic Sea to achieve the best possible turbine availability and performance as well as to run a cost-effective business. Rhenus Offshore Logistics offers offshore locations a range of transport services that covers the whole of the logistics supply chain. Collaborating together as a team, the two companies are able to create tangible benefits for wind farm operators.
Offshore wind farms – a workplace that is pretty unique and one that has some very specific requirements when servicing and maintenance work has to be carried out. Situated far out at sea, it is not so easy to get to these wind turbines. Every tool, every spare part, every member of the team has to be taken there by ship. And even this first stage is far from simple as the open sea creates its own challenges and conditions. The weather has to be just right for the crew to be taken to the wind farm, for them to get off the ship and onto the platform as well as for them to perform the actual work on the turbine high up at the top of the tower.
Which means that summer is the main season for delivering inspection and maintenance services at sea. A narrow window of opportunity that allows the company to make the most of the days where there is less wind, no fog and relatively calm waters. “We can’t work if the conditions aren’t right,” explained Maik Schlapmann, managing director of XERVON Wind. “Every moment has to be put to good use whenever the weather is right and that’s simply not possible with a job that starts at nine and ends at five on the dot.” What’s needed here is efficiency as the turbines have to be shut down while the company is working on them and it is essential to get them up and running again as quickly as possible. At the end of the day, every hour that these multi-megawatt offshore turbines are turned off, the less green energy is being generated which, in turn, has an impact on the cost effectiveness of the wind farm’s business. “In practice, this means uniting carefully dovetailed work processes with the maximum levels of safety,” Maik Schlapmann continued. “Work safety is at the very top of our list of priorities and XERVON Wind always follows the highest standards in this area.”
Being an independent service provider, XERVON Wind is not tied to any particular manufacturer and is able to offer all the relevant services required for this sector – from inspections, to servicing work, all the way through to carrying out repairs and performing retrofits to boost output. The journey to these offshore workplaces is long: the wind farms in German territorial waters are, in some cases, more than 100 kilometres off the coast. Having to travel such distances means that it is generally not possible to go there and back every day – that would simply take up too much time.
This means that XERVON Wind’s teams of engineers often carry out sea-based tasks, i.e. they work from and live on a ship throughout the assignment. If the turbines are closer to the shore or if there is an island close by where the team can sleep, then land-based projects are also possible with ships being used to ferry the teams to and from the wind farms. Large distances also have to be covered at the actual site itself as many offshore wind farms have a surface area of 20, 30 or more square kilometres.
Both this great dependency on the weather and the state of the sea and the very tight work schedules require companies offering services to offshore wind farms to be extremely flexible. For them to succeed in the market, they need to be able to dovetail their technical services with suitable fleet and logistics services so that the projects run smoothly. And XERVON Wind has a home advantage here as these wind energy specialists have been collaborating with their sister company Rhenus Offshore Logistics since their business was founded.
Offering a full range of services, Rhenus Offshore Logistics specialises in delivering logistics solutions to offshore wind farms and platforms. The company provides all the logistics services required by the offshore wind energy sector including, in particular, transport logistics to and from the harbours, the transfer of crews as well as charter and maritime coordination work. What’s more, it also supplies specialist logistics staff for offshore projects: this year, for example, Rhenus Offshore Logistics provided the offshore store keeper on an SOV for a servicing and maintenance assignment as part of a first collaboration project with XERVON Wind. The fact that it is colleagues who are working together means that XERVON Wind and Rhenus can combine their portfolio of technical services and logistics expertise in the best possible way. The wind energy experts can access any logistics services they need quickly and easily. By the same token, Rhenus is able to deliver relevant maintenance solutions within a short period of time. And they know exactly how the other works. In practice, this not only means the different processes are organised so they run smoothly but also enables quick communications and extremely rapid reaction times. Advantages that directly benefit businesses operating wind farms in the North Sea and Baltic Sea.
“The different areas of expertise and services complement each other perfectly and provide a complete package that is ideal for the special requirements of offshore wind farms,” commented Björn Wittek, managing director of Rhenus Offshore Logistics. Additional momentum is also gained by the two companies pursuing the same corporate values. An unwavering focus on customer interests, on high safety standards and on a determination to deliver complete and practical solutions is top of both companies’ list of priorities. Maik Schlapmann concluded: “No matter whether it be Rhenus Offshore Logistics or XERVON Wind – by collaborating within the Group, we are able to provide wind farm operators with tangible benefits that aren’t always readily available elsewhere. An asset that is particularly important in the demanding offshore business.”
