LA NAVAL Shipyard: Spanish shipyard geared for future offshore wind projects

Sestao-based LA NAVAL Shipyard has not been taken aback by the withdrawal of a newbuilding order by the financially troubled German offshore wind farm developer and shipowner BARD Engineering. It continues developing multipurpose vessels fit to assist installations of wind turbines. Relying on capacities and experience in meeting special requirements for jacking systems, huge capacity cranes and special innovative applications for the offshore industry, LA NAVAL has decided to step into the promising world of the offshore wind industry. 

The Spanish shipyard is designing a special jack-up vessel for the transport and installation of offshore wind turbines and jacket foundations. Commercial Manager Javier Angulo told Offshore WIND that the shipyard is flexible and capable enough to adapt to new projects. The company is likely to be involved in several projects. One example is the Wikinger project, off the North German coast. This €1.6Bn wind farm will have a capacity of 400 megawatts, generated by 80 turbines and is regarded as being one of the world’s largest deepwater wind farms. It is expected to be ready for full generation in 2016.

Mr Angulo is confident that the Spanish shipyard’s capability and knowhow to build specialised and tailor-made vessels will guarantee LA NAVAL’s position in the offshore wind energy market. “We have been active in that market for almost four years and have participated in several projects for these kinds of specialised vessels. During the over hundred years of the shipyard’s existence, with a continuous focus on the deisgn and construction of specialised vessels, we have built up a vast network of suppliers and subcontractors that support us, together with the strong industrial and shipbuilding tradition in the Basque Country.”

Ambitious plans

In the past few years the LA NAVAL manager has monitored the opportunities the offshore wind energy market may offer. “There are very ambitious plans, mainly in the UK and in the north of Europe, but also elsewhere. Nevertheless we think that until 2020 this development will be less and slower than planned. From 2020 we expect more and bigger developments. This will be a challenge for all the parties involved to develop new vessel concepts that will meet the long term requirements with much lower costs than at present necessary to make this business viable.”

LA NAVAL will follow those developments very closely. Mr Angulo is aware of the plans of the European Union to increase electricity production by wind turbines up to 2020. Spain is considered to be one of the leading countries to install capacity onshore, although not offshore. Mr Angulo explains, “The problem of the Spanish coast is the depth of the sea, which does not allow setting up fixed installations.”

LA NAVAL is also present in the offshore wind market as a potential supplier of jacket foundations as well as offshore substations. LA NAVAL facilities and its technical and project management capabilities makes them one of the most reliable partners.

As such, the shipyard’s newbuilding may well meet future demands of the offshore wind industry.

Janny Kok