DONG Energy (www.dongenergy.com/en) has chosen Aberdeen-based Gulf Marine Services UK Ltd (GMS UK) (www.gmsuae.com) to provide offshore accommodation for workers on what will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm.

Located 120km off the Yorkshire Coast, Hornsea Project One will be capable of meeting the electricity needs of well over a million homes. When work begins offshore in 2018, the team will stay out at sea rather than make the journey back and forth each day, so two accommodation self-elevating support vessels (SESVs) will accommodate up to 150 technicians.

Duncan Clark, programme director at DONG Energy, said: “Hornsea Project One will become the world’s biggest wind farm by a long way, so we are having to innovate in all areas as we scale up our expertise from previous projects.

“It’s also the furthest wind farm from shore that we’ve built, presenting challenges that are new to this industry. From many years of operating in the oil and gas industry, GMS UK has experience of ensuring that work in challenging offshore locations remains safe and efficient.”

GMS UK CEO Duncan Anderson said: “On this project, we’re working with DONG Energy to adapt our vessels to better serve the offshore wind industry. This will bring benefit to both parties and give us an advantage for future offshore projects.”

The two SESVs being supplied by GMS UK are less than five years old and feature four legs rather than the usual three, giving a very stable platform in harsh weather conditions.

They are also self-propelled and do not require the assistance of tugs or other support vessels. They have a large deck space, crane capacity and accommodation facilities that can be adapted to the requirements of different clients.