Logistics process analysis to develop the supply chain for offshore wind farm installations

The market for offshore wind energy and especially the related logistics will considerably grow in the next years. In the EU, 40 GW are supposed to be installed by 2020, thus 1,000 turbines every year. To achieve this ambitious target the offshore transportation and construction logistics has to be developed further to avoid bottlenecks, e.g. in the availability of installation vessels, and to minimize disruptions (EWEA 2010). Hence, the need to analyze the entire supply chain arises to support strategic decisions for all actors in the supply chain such as shipping companies, terminal operators and manufacturers. Therefore, this paper aims to analyze the logistic processes in offshore wind farm construction to derive an elaborate supply chain design. Thereby, viable investment opportunities and competitive strategies for shipping companies can be identified. Thus, in the logistic process analysis different supply scenarios between offshore base port and wind farm location, disruptive factors specific to the offshore wind supply chain as well as the impact of an uncertain environment are investigated. Identified risk factors and challenges refer to uncertain weather conditions and short time windows as well as the location of future wind farms in deeper waters and at larger distances to shore. Consequently, an agile design of the offshore supply chain is required. In the case of a shipping company, this implies high-speed installation vessels that can transport and install pre-assembled turbines as well as foundations. These results emphasize the significance of higher vessel utilization to minimize installation time, and thus logistic costs.