Rhenus Offshore Logistics supplies the Wikinger windfarm

Rhenus Offshore Logistics has concluded its first contract in the Baltic Sea now that it has recently completed its 15th supply run. Rhenus handled the continuous support for Iberdrola’s Wikinger offshore windfarm project, including agency services and coordination in the port, making available the platform supply vessel (PSV) and the bunker equipment – as well as renting the containers.

Between 19 September 2016 and 11 March 2017, Rhenus regularly supplied the offshore platform at the wind park with containers, which were loaded with food, tools, spare parts and other materials, as well as fresh water and diesel fuel. Rhenus also handled the complete coordination work for all the interfaces and made available containers, fresh water and diesel fuel. Rhenus coordinated the platform supply vessel at the supply port, Mukran Port in Sassnitz on the island of Rügen, through its own local agent too.

A qualified project manager, who arranged the communications between the port, the platform, the captain and all the others involved, provided support for the project. The platform supplier used has a so-called Dynamic Positioning System, known as DP2. "This system automatically guarantees that the PSV constantly remains in the same position through independent access to the engines and thrusters and with the help of various sensors – which is particularly important when loading the containers from the vessel on to the offshore platform," says Svenja Beck, Project Manager at Rhenus Offshore Logistics, explaining the benefits.

"We particularly owe the smooth operations within the project to the excellent level of cooperation within the team, which consisted of Rhenus Offshore Logistics, Sassnitz Ferry Port, the vessel, the bunker supplier and the customer. The project was our first order of this kind in the Baltic Sea and it therefore signifies an expansion of our field of operations along the German coast too," says Thore Schreiber, Head of Business Development and Sales at Rhenus Offshore Logistics, adding his comments.

The trip from Mukran Port to the Wikinger wind farm, which is located 35 kilometres off the coast of Rügen, takes about four hours. The wind farm, which is still being constructed at the moment and is due to go online later this year, will generate 350 megawatts of energy in future and can therefore supply power to 350,000 households.