Global offshore wind momentum: Fugro, Cadeler, DEME and SPIE advance key projects
Offshore wind development continues to accelerate worldwide, with major players reporting significant progress across Europe, Asia and the Americas. From site investigations in the Adriatic Sea to large-scale installation campaigns in the North Sea and beyond, recent updates highlight expanding fleets, advanced geophysical surveys and critical high-voltage services that are shaping the next generation of offshore wind infrastructure.
The following is a compilation of the latest offshore wind news from Fugro, Cadeler, DEME and SPIE.
Fugro conducts site investigations for Adriatic Sea Rimini offshore wind project
Fugro has completed a program of geophysical and archaeological surveys in the Adriatic Sea for Energia Wind 2020’s Rimini fixed offshore wind development.
The program, which concluded last month, covered both the site of the wind farm and the export cable route, 12 nautical miles from Rimini on the Italian east coast.
Two Fugro vessels performed mapping of the seabed and subsurface conditions, acquiring ultra-high resolution shallow seismic and other geophysical data. The crews were also tasked with identifying and preserving archaeological features relevant to the project's planning and permitting process.
Cadeler’s fleet has expanded from five to nine vessels
Cadeler has confirmed in a results statement that it will start its foundations transportation and installation (T&I) campaign early next year for Ørsted’s Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm in the UK southern North Sea.
It will be the first time that Cadeler has assumed responsibility for the full T&I scope for offshore monopile foundations. The company will deploy its new A-class vessel Wind Ally for the installations.
This year Cadeler has taken delivery of three newbuild WTIVs, Wind Maker, Wind Pace and Wind Ally, in addition to the acquisition of Wind Keeper, an O&M vessel. Cadeler will soon take delivery of its second M-class vessel. By mid-2027, Cadeler will operate a 12-vessel fleet for the offshore wind industry.
DEME updates installation progress at three US offshore wind farms
DEME has completed the installation of all 176 monopiles for Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, according to DEME's recent quarterly report.
The company’s Orion vessel is currently installing transition pieces and preparing for the installation of the second offshore substation. Other vessels in the company’s fleet have performed inter-array and export cable installation as well as rock placement for the project.
In addition, DEME has finished installing the monopiles and transition pieces for the Vineyard Wind development, where the focus has moved on to turbine and blade installations.
The team also has started preparations for cable installation work for the Empire Wind 1 project.
In western France, DEME’s Offshore Energy division has fulfilled its work scope for the Île d’Yeu and Noirmoutier project, with all monopiles and transition pieces in place. The company has also installed the Dieppe–Le Tréport project’s offshore substation, completed all pre-piling work and started installing the first jacket foundations. This activity will continue through 2026.
Offshore Poland, DEME has completed all four directional landfall drills and started inter-array cable lay work for the Baltic Power project, which will continue into spring 2026.
In the UK, having completed cabling works for the Dogger Bank A and B projects in the southern North Sea, the team has started activities at Dogger Bank C.
In the Dutch North Sea, DEME will perform installations next year for the IJmuiden Ver Alpha, Nederwiek 1 and Oranjewind offshore wind farms.
Offshore Taiwan, the company’s floating offshore installation vessel Green Jade has installed all jacket foundations for the Hai Long project, with turbine installation work ongoing.
Seabed preparation and scour protection has concluded for the Greater Changhua project’s offshore substation, using DEME’s hopper dredger and fallpipe vessels.
Preparations are advancing for the start of installations next year for the Fengmiao offshore wind farm.
SPIE providing high-voltage offshore wind services for Dogger Bank project
SPIE Wind Connect, a wind power high-voltage specialist, has been awarded a contract by DEME to carry out 66kV inter-array cable termination and testing on the remaining 87 wind turbine generators at Dogger Bank C.
This will mark the final phase of the Dogger Bank wind farm project, which is located more than 130 km off the northeast coast of England in the North Sea. Dogger Bank is a joint venture between SSE Renewables (40%), operator Equinor (40%) and Vårgrønn (20%).
Scheduled for completion in 2026, Dogger Bank is expected to have a total capacity of 3.6 GW. The project is being delivered in three 1.2-GW phases: Dogger Bank A and B, each with 95 turbines, and Dogger Bank C with 87 turbines.
SPIE Wind Connect has secured contracts from DEME Offshore NL B.V. to deliver the 66kV inter-array cable termination and testing works across all three project phases.
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.