UK East Anglia Offshore Wind Projects Sign Rescue Service Contract Worth Over £7 Million

en.Wedoany.com Reported - ScottishPower Renewables, a subsidiary of Iberdrola, has announced the signing of a long-term offshore emergency response and rescue service contract worth more than £7 million with Vroon Offshore Services. Vroon Offshore Services will provide on-site emergency support for the East Anglia TWO and East Anglia THREE offshore wind farms currently under construction off the coast of Suffolk, UK. This is also the company's first long-term rescue vessel service contract in the offshore renewable energy sector. Iberdrola disclosed the contract again on September 14, with the amount equivalent to more than €8.1 million.

During the contract period, Vroon Offshore Services will deploy the VOS Traveller emergency response and rescue vessel, operating from the Port of Lowestoft as its base. The vessel will be crewed by 24 personnel on a 28-day rotation, providing 24-hour standby, safety monitoring, search and rescue, medical assistance, logistics support, and environmental monitoring for the construction areas of both offshore wind farms. The vessel is also equipped with two fast rescue craft, a Dacon rescue scoop, a heavy-duty rescue basket, onboard medical facilities, and collision warning and radio watchkeeping equipment. The VOS Traveller was built in 2008, has a length of 48.2 meters, and is a Class B dedicated emergency response and rescue vessel.

East Anglia TWO has a planned installed capacity of 960 MW, is located approximately 33 kilometers off the coast of Suffolk, and is planned to install 64 offshore wind turbines. Offshore main construction is expected to begin in 2027, and the wind farm is scheduled to be operational by the end of 2028. ScottishPower has previously signed a turbine supply contract worth more than £1 billion for the project, with Siemens Gamesa supplying 64 SG 14-236 DD offshore wind turbines; fabrication of the jacket foundations for the project's offshore substation has also commenced, with the relevant foundations expected to be installed in the third quarter of 2027.

East Anglia THREE has an installed capacity of 1.4 GW and is equipped with 95 turbines. In August 2026, the installation of all 95 monopile foundations and transition pieces for the project was completed, turbine installation has commenced, and the project is scheduled to be fully operational by the end of 2026. This rescue service contract therefore covers both a 1.4 GW project in the turbine installation phase and a 960 MW project about to enter the offshore construction phase, with a combined installed capacity of approximately 2.36 GW for the two wind farms.

The scope of the contract undertaken by Vroon Offshore Services does not involve the installation of turbines, foundations, or submarine cables, but specifically covers the safety and security of personnel and vessels during the offshore construction phase. Under the contract arrangement, the VOS Traveller is required to remain continuously on station in the construction area and carry out search, rescue, and transfer missions in the event of a person overboard, medical incident, or other offshore emergency, while also undertaking vessel traffic monitoring and environmental monitoring at the construction site.