SPONSORS OF SERVICING OFFSHORE WINDFARMS
PORT OF RAMSGATE
A THRIVING HUB FOR THE OFFSHORE WIND INDUSTRY Five years ago, the Port of Ramsgate
in Kent was best known for its cross- Channel ferry service to Belgium. Today it has a new reputation as a thriving hub for the offshore wind industry.
SERVICING OFFSHORE PROJECTS Both the 300MW Thanet Offshore Wind (TOW) and the nearly-complete 630MW phase 1 of London Array – which will soon claim the title of the world’s largest offshore wind farm – have made Ramsgate their home.
Image courtesy of London Array FACILITIES
The port can accommodate vessels of up to 180 metres in length with 6.5 metres draft and has the capacity to handle multi-decked vessels. With easy access to the open sea, it takes an average of 10 minutes from berth to clearing a buoyed
Set on 32 acres of land, Ramsgate is one of the largest municipal ports in England and Wales, and the owners, Thanet District Council, are keen to secure investment that has knock-on advantages for the local economy.
SUPPLY CHAIN AND TRAINING SUPPORT
The wind farm industry is already making its presence felt as the supply chain spreads into the local economy.
Local colleges and training providers have developed new courses to help students and residents gain the skills they need to work in the offshore wind sector, and East Kent College has planning permission for a new Centre for Environmental Technologies to support this. The area’s maritime expertise is in demand – whether it’s providing crews for the wide range of boats needed to build and maintain a wind farm or the chandlery supplies and support services they require. Recruitment agencies, the local airport, IT businesses, specialist manufacturers, accommodation and leisure providers, welding companies, equipment suppliers and many more have all plugged into the offshore wind economy.
STATE-OF-THE-ART OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE BASE And the port itself is home not just to the headline names of TOW’s owners Vattenfall and London Array, which has invested in a multi-million pound, state-of-the-art operations and maintenance base there. Key suppliers such as Siemens, Vestas and Visser & Smit have joined them there, too.
“Ramsgate is in an excellent position both geographically – at the south eastern tip of the UK – and in terms of the skills and services it can supply, to support the offshore wind farm industry,” said Peter Symons, Business Development Director of Locate in Kent, the county’s inward investment agency.
“In a little under five years, the port will have seen the
As well as serving as the construction management centre for the two wind farms, the Port of Ramsgate will serve as their longterm operations and maintenance base.
INVESTMENT
It’s a welcome payback for Ramsgate, which has seen substantial public and private sector investment to make sure it serves the needs of the offshore wind farm industry.
channel and access is possible at all states of the tide and in most weather conditions.
For those companies that do not need to be on the seafront, there are also complementary facilities a few miles inland at Manston Business Park to accommodate potential wind farm-related businesses.
construction of two of the largest offshore wind farms in the world and is now set to serve for at least the next 20 years as their operations and maintenance base.
“Meantime, Ramsgate is placed to assist both with the extension of existing Round 2 wind farms projects as well as the emerging Round 3 projects. It’s a very exciting prospect.”
Port of Ramsgate
www.portoframsgate.co.uk 100
www.windenergynetwork.co.uk
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