As the offshore wind industry moves further from the coastline, new strategies are required to make these offshore windfarms more cost effective. “The currently available units in this industry have shortcomings with respect to mobility, flexibility and operational window, which will have an even bigger impact when going further away from safe havens,” says Mike Comerford of SeaEnergy. “In our philosophy the vessels have to be more versatile and offer greater crew comfort, so they can stay longer offshore instead of sailing back and forth into port every day. In Ulstein we have found a partner that is able to translate our requirements into a competitive design.”