Tugdock has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Salamander floating offshore wind farm to collaborate on innovation for floating offshore wind energy in Scotland.
Salamander Offshore Wind has engaged with the company to discuss opportunities to collaborate in research and innovation related to the development of technologies and supply chain for floating wind energy in Scotland.
Salamander Offshore Wind is a joint venture between Simply Blue Group, Orsted and Subsea7 and will be located offshore from Peterhead in North-East Scotland. It has signed an exclusivity agreement as part of Crown Estate Scotland’s Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) leasing round.
Tugdock is a fast-growing company based in Cornwall, UK. Its technology consists of a modular road transportable space frame with the use of patented air lift bags that are filled and then vented using compressed air.
By confining the air lift bags into a space frame configuration and deck arrangement, the product can be used as additional buoyancy modules or submersible platforms.
This technology enables floating offshore wind turbine substructures to be built or assembled and the turbines integrated in ports with water depth or space restrictions.
It is a lighter, shallow drafted, quicker, and more cost-effective alternative to a steel hulled barge or floating dock.
“The objectives of this exciting collaboration are for Salamander Offshore Wind and Tugdock to jointly develop innovative knowledge and technologies to accelerate the development of floating wind energy,” said Tugdock chief executive Shane Carr.
“This is currently a fast-evolving industry around the world. We are delighted to have agreed this forward-looking collaboration and we are confident that it will lead to significant progress.”
Innovation and interface manager of Salamander Offshore Wind Tom Brown added: “Tugdock is a highly innovative young company and we are looking forward to working closely with them to explore the applications of its technology.”
Tugdock has also announced partnerships with crane rental and heavy lifting outfit Sarens and Crowley, a US-based supply chain solutions company serving the offshore wind sector, exploring floating offshore wind in locations, such as the US West Coast.