The port of Emden is one of the largest ports in the federal state of Niedersachsen in Germany and located furthest west on the German coast, strategically near the deep waters of the North Sea and easily accessed by road and rail. Its main activities are the import and export of automobiles, forest products and of course the wind energy industry. For the latter it builds on a long history in the onshore wind sector and with plenty of offshore wind farms planned in its proximity it is looking forward to a promising future.

Offshore WIND spoke to Andreas Bullwinkel, Managing Director of Seaports of Niedersachsen GmbH , with regards to the role of the port in the offshore wind industry. Mr Bullwinkel tells, “The port of Emden has a strong role in both on and offshore wind energy, you can not talk about the one without mentioning the other. ” The port’s involvement in the wind industry goes back to when onshore wind turbine manufacturer Enercon decided to use the port for handling their large components.