Offshore wind roundup: Energy island milestone, DEME’s WTIV debut and FairWind acquisition
From major offshore infrastructure milestones in the North Sea to vessel deliveries and biodiversity innovations, the offshore wind sector continues to scale up in scope and ambition.
This roundup highlights key developments, including the completion of 2025 caisson installations at Belgium’s Princess Elisabeth Island, the delivery of DEME’s next-generation wind turbine installation vessel, the first real-world deployment of Reef cubes for scour protection, and FairWind’s strategic expansion into the Asia-Pacific market.
Last caisson for 2025 installed at Princess Elisabeth Island
The TM Edison consortium, which includes DEME and Jan de Nul, has installed the final caisson this year at the artificial Princess Elisabeth Island in the Belgian North Sea.
The project is developing the world’s first energy island, developed by Elia Transmission Belgium. This year’s offshore campaign involved 15 ships, including jackup vessels, supply vessels and tugboats.
The concrete caissons, weighing up to 22,000 t, form the outer walls of the future island, 45 km from the Belgian coast. It will connect offshore wind farms in the North Sea and may also serve in the future as an energy hub for international interconnectors to Belgium’s electricity grid.
Preparations have now started for the next construction phase, with offshore activities due to resume next spring.
WTIV newbuild to start offshore wind operations in 2026
DEME also recently revealed that it had taken delivery of the new wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) called Norse Wind.
It was designed by Gusto MSC and built by CIMC Raffles Shipyard in China. It is designed to install next-generation of offshore wind turbines, with rotor diameters of over 300 m and XXL monopiles weighing up to 3,000 t. The vessel’s 3,200-t crane can perform lifts in water depths of up to 70 m.
Havfram, the Norwegian contractor acquired by DEME in April, had initiated construction of Norse Wind in 2023. The vessel is already contracted for several offshore wind projects and has a strong pipeline through 2030, DEME said. The WTIV is scheduled to begin operations in first-half 2026.
Sister vessel Norse Energi is due to be delivered early in 2026.
Undersea cubes protect from erosion, enhance biodiversity
RWE and ARC marine have installed Reef cubes at the Rampion offshore wind farm as undersea protection for turbine foundations.
The cubes are designed to protect the critical energy infrastructure from strong currents in the subsea environment, while creating new and extending existing living marine habitats.
About 75,000 Reef cubes, ranging in size from 15 cm to 35 cm, were installed at the base of one of the turbines at the Rampion offshore wind farm by contractor Rohde Nielsen. RWE says it is the first real-world deployment of the Reef cubes as scour protection at an operational wind farm.
Use of scour protection usually involves placing layers of rock on the seabed around the base of a turbine foundation. Reef cubes provide equally effective protection from erosion but also aim to enhance biodiversity. They are designed to be modular, lighter, easy to install and turn protection zones into thriving ecosystems. The structure of the cubes provides habitats for marine life, supports fish populations, shellfish colonization and broader ecosystem development. At one of the Rampion turbines, the Reef cubes are providing a habitat surface area of 25,000 sq m.
FairWind to acquire Cosmic Group
Renewables specialist FairWind has reached an agreement to acquire Cosmic Group, an Australian wind installation and maintenance provider.
This acquisition will expands the company's footprint into New Zealand and Japan. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter, subject to customary regulatory approval
The business will become the regional hub for FairWind’s Asia-Pacific operations. Cosmic will continue to operate under its name, ensuring continuity for its existing projects and clients.
FairWind has a workforce of more than 2,000 people in more than 40 countries across Europe, North America, South America, Asia and Oceania. The business provides complete life-cycle solutions for the installation and maintenance of onshore and offshore wind turbines.
About the Author
Jeremy Beckman
Editor, Europe
Jeremy Beckman has been Editor Europe, Offshore since 1992. Prior to joining Offshore he was a freelance journalist for eight years, working for a variety of electronics, computing and scientific journals in the UK. He regularly writes news columns on trends and events both in the NW Europe offshore region and globally. He also writes features on developments and technology in exploration and production.
Ariana Hurtado
Editor-in-Chief
With more than a decade of copy editing, project management and journalism experience, Ariana Hurtado is a seasoned managing editor born and raised in the energy capital of the world—Houston, Texas. She currently serves as editor-in-chief of Offshore, overseeing the editorial team, its content and the brand's growth from a digital perspective.
Utilizing her editorial expertise, she manages digital media for the Offshore team. She also helps create and oversee new special industry reports and revolutionizes existing supplements, while also contributing content to Offshore's magazine, newsletters and website as a copy editor and writer.
Prior to her current role, she served as Offshore's editor and director of special reports from April 2022 to December 2024. Before joining Offshore, she served as senior managing editor of publications with Hart Energy. Prior to her nearly nine years with Hart, she worked on the copy desk as a news editor at the Houston Chronicle.
She graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Houston.