The old saying, ‘preparation prevents poor performance’ rings particularly true when it comes to A2SEA. The company has installed more than 1,000 turbines and 400 foundations and is currently smashing targets for bringing projects in on time and on budget and, naturally, in the safest manner possible. We spoke to Jens Frederik Hansen to find out more about the company’s outstanding record.
PES: Welcome back to PES. How has business been since we last spoke?
Jens Frederik Hansen: It has been good, and we’ve had plenty of projects to get involved with. We are pleased that our vessels have completed work on the massive Gwynt y MÙr project off the coast of North Wales. 160 turbines were installed there in total and we have also completed installations for for DONG Energy with 108 installations on West of Duddon Sands.
We have also taken delivery of our new vessel SEA CHALLENGER and are starting on two new projects – Borkum Riffgrund 1 and Westermost Rough.
I would like to say that we have entered a period of sustainable growth, but it is a political issue. However, it is going in the right direction.
PES: To what extent does the weather impact upon your service?
JFH: We always take weather into account, but often we are surprised in a positive way – like with West of Duddon Sands where we finished some weeks before schedule. But we need to be realistic. In the winter time it may well be more windy and rough and we have to account for that.
PES: What would you attribute your recent success to?
JFH: Well, I’m proud to say that we have done a tremendous job on the projects we’ve been involved with and we’ve managed to complete our tasks ahead of schedule. Careful planning is a factor in our success and teamwork with colleagues, crew and clients. SEA INSTALLER has really proven her worth – she has been an outstanding asset to our operation.
Ultimately, this was down to good management of the project on our behalf, and while the weather has recently been favourable, that only enabled us to catch up on what we lost in a terrible January (weather-wise).
Obviously, this reduces everyone’s costs and if you can get turbines electrified early it is a huge benefit to everyone and increases revenues for the owners.
PES: When we spoke last time, SEA CHALLENGER had just been ordered. Have you taken delivery yet?
JFH: Yes! She arrived on 17 May in DK after 52 days in transit from China in mid may. She’s going to be a real addition to our wind service and was ready for service on 1st July as scheduled. At first, she is going to be working on the British east coast installing 35 Siemens 6MW turbines on Westermost Rough.
I have to say, she really is fantastic and is going to make such a difference to our fleet. It is a huge step up in terms of efficiency and capacity. And when you consider that the new (proposed) Vestas turbines will be around 8MW, we are going to need that extra capacity.
PES: Similarly, do you plan on investing in any more vessels in the near future?
JFH: Not at the moment, no. We follow the market very closely though and look at the options as they come along. So, if a turbine manufacturer announces that they are planning on building a piece of equipment that is a certain size, we can react. And while, for us, the planning stage takes a long time, we have always optimised designs that we can build on.
From a market perspective, we are also monitoring closely how trade is developing and the signals given by the German and UK governments. Ultimately, I am positive about the future and our position.
PES: We’re intrigued: how much input does a company the size of A2SEA have on the specification of a new build?
JFH: Everything – we had our own crew involved in China and a team of 10 people in DK – and they worked closely. The vessels are designed and built according to the experience we have gained after 12 years in the business and we can specify everything we need.
Basically, we design a ship ourselves. The layout, how it will work and how it will operate. And when it comes to the specifics of the wind industry, we are very well served with regard to the propeller, jacking systems, etc. It all comes together very well indeed.
PES: We understand that safety is a particular issue that you’re championing right now. Can you tell us a little about your work in this regard?
JFH: Safety is integrated throughout our work and throughout all our departments. We have specialist safety coaches that visit the vessels and we insist on a similar approach from our suppliers also – it is imperative that the message gets through the entire operation.
The wind energy market is maturing and – just as the gas industry matured with a greater focus on safety – we are placing a great deal of money and emphasis on training and on how the ships operate and perform. You have to build a sustainable industry and this is one way of ensuring it. Our standards are high, but there are a number of other companies we work with to help us achieve this.
It is dangerous work, remember. But we have high standards and we have been doing this for a number of years. In fact, it’s our job to set those standards for other newer companies that come along to meet. It is our responsibility to lead from the front.
PES: If you could pick one, what is the defining advantage of A2SEA over its competitors?
JFH: I think what we have done since 2008 when I joined is tried to be very professional in our project management and execution. As a result, we have executed all projects to the agreed timescales and hopefully to budgets.
That is a key milestone for the industry and our company. We are very proud of that and we place a lot of energy in achieving that.
We place great importance on monitoring and we are proactive in investigating and preparing our ships in terms of maintenance and preventative maintenance. That is vital to us. We are on top of everything.
Therefore, we can react quickly when we need to. I think and because we are on top of everything, we can react quickly when we need to. I think that is the key to making fast decisions. So, we can react and investigate and determine how to get back on track. It’s a proactive process rather than reactive process.
PES: To what extent do you try and accommodate unusual requests or offer tailor-made solutions?
JFH: We try to accommodate them all the time. However, as explained previously, our readiness, preparation and experience means that this doesn’t happen so often. We identify unusual situations early on and adjust our offering to fit.
PES: We understand that you’re about to begin work on the Westermost Rough project shortly. What will this involve?
JFH: SEA CHALLENGER will install 35 Siemens 6MW turbines and this is a cooperative project between Siemens – the turbine supplier – and our lifting and handling expertise. As always, we have a large team of safety officers to hand and a project management crew on board. In fact, work started just this week and the first loads are being prepared as we speak.
PES: The last time we spoke, you mentioned a slow down in projects in 2015 and 2016. Do you still anticipate this deceleration of the market?
JFH: I think from our side, we have recovered the work for next year. 2016 though is perhaps too far away to tell. At the end of the day, I think we are going to be ok.
We have a positive outlook on the market. After Borkum Riffgrund 1 and Westermost Rough we will start installation on Gode Wind in Germany.
