Baltica 2, located 40 km offshore Poland in the Baltic Sea, will comprise of 107 x 14 MW wind turbine generators (WTGs) and four substations installed on monopile foundations. Once fully completed, the Baltica project is expected to provide enough renewable energy to power 2,5 million Polish homes, according to developers.

ABL’s scope of work covers the marine transportation and offshore installation (T&I) of the 107 WTGs. The project is expected to be fully commissioned by the end of 2027.

Under the terms of the contract, ABL will provide technical review and approval of project documentation, drawings and calculations, marine assurance and risk services including vessel suitability surveys for the proposed fleet and DP trials where required, and also on-site attendance to review, approve and oversee all warranted operations.

“Along with our sister company OWC, who is based in Poland, we have significant experience in supporting the Baltic Sea’s offshore wind development in a number of capacities. This includes our work as MWS to support the construction of the Baltic Eagle offshore wind project and supporting more than 3 GW of potential offshore wind capacity with a range of engineering services, from technical advisory, cost engineering, geotechnical and GIS support.”

Tilo Klappenbach, ABL’s Country Manager in Germany

ABL’s operation in Hamburg, Germany, will manage the project. On-site attendances and vessel surveys will be supported by ABL’s wider European footprint, including ABL’s offices in Norway, Netherlands, France and UK. It may also draw on the specialised advisory and engineering consultancy expertise of OWC Poland, based out of offices in Warsaw and Gdansk.

“We will bring ABL’s global expertise in marine transportation and installation operations for offshore wind to support this important step in Poland’s offshore wind development. We combine the track-record, multi-disciplined marine and engineering expertise, and footprint across Northern Europe to execute this project.”

Adds Klappenbach

ABL is part of global consultancy ABL Group ASA, which delivers energy, marine, engineering and digital solutions to drive safety and sustainability in renewables, maritime and oil and gas in more than 43 countries worldwide.

Contact ABL to discover more on how our offering in marine warranty survey (MWS) supports offshore wind projects across Europe, whether at construction, operations and maintenance (O&M), or at decommissioning:

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ABL Australia’s latest offering complements its existing offices in Perth and Sydney. In addition to this, ABL Group’s renewable energy consultancy branch, OWC is present in Melbourne.  

“We are thrilled to announce the opening of our office in Brisbane, expanding even further ABL’s reach across Australia’s East Coast. This strategic move allows us to better support our clients across the Oil & Gas, Shipping, Superyachts and Renewables sectors with localised expertise and enhanced services.”

Jason Hannath, Country Manager to ABL in Australia

The new office will provide a hub on Australia’s East Coast to deliver ABL’s full energy, marine and engineering consultancy offering. In particular, the office will deliver ABL’s expertise in asset integrity management and technical training for oil and gas, maritime and infrastructure sectors. The local team will also focus on the expansion of ABL’s comprehensive service portfolio in ports and harbours consulting, including port infrastructure feasibility for future renewable energy projects, and navigational risk assessments.  

With the East Coast’s strong potential for offshore wind development, this strategic move will further provide a springboard to expand the wider ABL Group’s through-life advisory, consultancy and engineering offering to offshore wind.  

“With our head office in Perth, this new location reinforces our commitment to driving sustainability in energy and oceans while strengthening relationships with our valued partners. We look forward to creating new opportunities, fostering innovation, and delivering impactful solutions from our Brisbane base. Exciting times ahead for ABL and our clients!”

Continues Hannath

The new office is located at Level 5, 80 Ann Street, Brisbane, Queensland, 4000 Australia.  

As well as OWC, ABL is joined in Australia by its sister companies, AGR – multidisciplined engineering consultants in drilling, wells and subsurface, and Longitude – ABL Group’s design and engineering arm.  

Hannath is also responsible for overseeing the growth of ABL’s operations throughout Australasia, recently expanding to an office in New Zealand.  

Discover more on ABL’s operations in Australia and New Zealand, and how we can support your project and asset in renewables, maritime and oil & gas:

The post ABL Australia expands to Brisbane appeared first on ABL.

“As the largest region in ABL, these meetings are integral to strengthening collaboration between countries and technical teams, exchanging best practices and knowledge, and in identifying key areas for growth, to ensure that we are best placed to support our clients and markets.

“In 2024 we saw significant growth in the region in several areas. We expanded our Black Sea operations with a new office in Constanta, Romania. We diversified our service portfolio with the introduction of the water management and numerical modelling consultants, Hidromod – which also substantially reinforced ABL’s operations in the strategic market of Portugal. Lastly, we continued to develop our presence and activities to support African marine and energy markets, with gains made in Nigeria, Senegal and Mauritania, and the Republic of Congo.”

Hugues Delanoue, Regional Managing Director for ABL in Europe and West Africa

The meeting was the first in which Hidromod was able to participate since its acquisition by ABL’s parent company, ABL Group, in October 2024. It, therefore, was a chance to deepen understanding across the regional operations, of Hidromod’s unique expertise and software solutions to support hydrological forecasting in different marine, energy and agricultural scenarios.

Other topics for discussion covered ABL’s European and West African offering in the following areas: marine warranty survey (MWS), dynamic positioning (DP) and critical systems, rig inspections operations, maritime services including ports and harbours consulting and engineering, electrification and the expansion of ABL’s expertise in both technical due diligence and owner’s engineering for energy and maritime sectors.

ABL Europe and West Africa includes offices in Bulgaria, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Holland, Nigeria, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Congo, Romania, Senegal and Turkey.

ABL Europe and West Africa in the news in 2024

ABL won a wide range of contracts across energy and oceans in 2024, including several significant energy infrastructure projects for European and African countries, as well as to support high-profile renewable energy construction projects, and the development of emerging energy transition technologies.

Here is a small selection:

ABL to assess navigational risk for Finland’s 1st open-sea offshore wind farm. Read more.

TenneT appoints consultancy ABL for Dutch 2GW export cables. Read more.

ABL part of North Sea green hydrogen initiative. Read more.

ABL to support offshore installation of French-Spanish interconnector. Read more.

ENI drafts ABL for Congo floating LNG transportation and installation verification. Read more.

ABL electrifying zero-emission offshore charging station. Read more.

ABL to provide marine warranty survey for Neptun Deep in the Black Sea. Read more.

The post ABL Europe & West Africa Power Up for 2025 appeared first on ABL.

The Korsnäs offshore wind farm is located on the west coast of Finland, in the Baltic Sea. The wind farm is a joint project between Vattenfall and Metsähallitus. It has a planned maximum capacity of 2.5 GW and an annual production of 7 TWh – enough capacity to power 350,000 electrically-heated detached houses by renewable energy.  

ABL’s scope of work includes a comprehensive navigational risk assessment, including quantitative risk modelling, stakeholder engagement and recommendations for risk mitigation measures. The findings will also include consideration of the risk effects of sea ice in the vicinity of the development site during the winter season. 

The contract has been awarded to ABL’s operations based in Hamburg, Germany, and will be carried out by the company’s global Ports and Harbours consultancy team, with specialist support from sister company OWC.

“We are pleased to provide our expertise in navigational risk analysis to support this pivotal step in Finland’s renewable energy development. This follows many years of successful collaboration by our team on similar work for Germany’s Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency – BSH – to assess shipping risks from offshore wind sites across the North Sea. This project win is therefore, a testament to our established technical reputation in this field.”

Tilo Klappenbach, ABL’s Country Manager to Germany

ABL’s global Ports and Harbours consultancy includes a full-lifecycle service offering for maritime infrastructure projects, from supporting the financing of assets with engineering and technical due diligence, to safety, regulatory and environmental compliance support, operational asset integrity management, fixed object damage assessment, marine casualty management and expert witness support. The team includes maritime and multi-disciplinary engineering expertise and has a track-record of working across assets in more than 20 countries in the Americas, Europe, Africa, Middle East, and Asia Pacific.

ABL is part of Oslo-listed consultancy group ABL Group ASA.

Discover our comprehensive energy, marine, engineering and consultancy services to support the safe and sustainable development of offshore wind in the North and Baltic Seas:

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ABL New Zealand will offer the company’s full range of energy and marine consultancy services, with a particular focus on bringing ABL’s more than 150 years of legacy in marine surveying and consulting to support the country’s maritime industries.

“New Zealand, with its size and strategic location in the South Pacific, is a pivotal hub for maritime activities, including shipping, with 99.7% of New Zealand’s trade transported by sea. Given the country’s unique characteristics – its size, isolation, and reliance on international trade – offering a comprehensive range of consultancy services represents an exciting opportunity for ABL. I am very excited to take on this new role.”

Morwenna Vye, Country Lead, ABL New Zealand

Leveraging the global expertise and resources of ABL Group, the new office will specialise in services including technical due diligence, technical advisory and management consultancy, vessel and yacht surveys, safety and compliance audits, ports & harbours consultancy, marine warranty survey and marine casualty management.

Master Mariner Vye has been appointed as country lead. She brings almost 20 years of experience in shipyard management, super yachts builds and brokerage. She has worked as a maritime regulator and investigator and has accreditation in ISM and ISO auditing. She joins ABL from the government agency Maritime New Zealand (MNZ).

In addition to maritime services, ABL will support the local market in its renewables and decarbonisation initiatives with the company’s multi-disciplined energy transition engineering services, including expertise in emissions consulting and electrification.

“Establishing a market presence in New Zealand is the natural next step for ABL, following almost 40 years of growth in the region. This move better enables us to provide our global service offering via local expertise, supporting more clients, more rapidly and across more markets. The new office also provides a platform off which to launch our market-leading renewable energy consultancy to support New Zealand’s promising offshore wind potential.”

Simon Healy, ABL’s Regional Managing Director for Asia-Pacific

ABL has been operational in Australasia since 1988, born out of the presence of AqualisBraemar and LOC. The company’s regional headquarter is located in Perth, with further offices in Sydney and Melbourne.

Part of global consultancy ABL Group ASA, it is joined in the region by sister companies, the renewable energy consultants – OWC, wells and reservoir management experts – AGR, and the Group’s design house – Longitude Engineering.   

ABL New Zealand is located at 155 Maunganui Road, Mount Maunganui, New Zealand, and can be reached at +64 (0) 220363711.

The post ABL launches operations in New Zealand appeared first on ABL.

The team at ABL Group shares the passion, vision and values for working in energy and the world’s oceans, de-risking and driving the energy transition. We are driven by the idea that the best work is born from professionalism, diligence… and fun. You know ABL Group, but do you know our team?

What does your day-to-day look like at ABL?

“I lead regular discussions with my team to assess the progress of ongoing projects and ensure the timely allocation of essential resources. In parallel, I actively drive business development by fostering relationships and engaging in strategic meetings with clients.

As a marine engineer, I am also responsible for conducting H&M case investigations and various vessel inspections.”

What inspired you to join your industry?

I graduated from a maritime university, and after gaining valuable experience at sea, I naturally transitioned into the industry. Over time, I found myself deeply passionate about the maritime and offshore field, and I am confident that this is the right path for me, which I strive to improve upon every day.

Can you tell us about something exciting you are working on right now?

The maritime and offshore sector holds great promise in the Korean market, yet our office here is still relatively small. I am fully committed to expanding our office and driving further business success in Korea. One of my primary goals, and the aspect I am most passionate about, is to recruit talented individuals and ensure that their growth leads to the success of our office.

“I am currently working on an exciting Offshore Windfarm Project. We are involved in all stages of the project, including foundation, cable laying, and wind turbine installation, where we perform document reviewing, site attendance, CoA issuance, and provide technical advice. My team and I are fully dedicated to ensuring the success of this project.”

What does the future look like in energy and oceans in South Korea ?

The future of energy and oceans in South Korea looks promising, particularly in the fields of renewable energy and maritime innovation. South Korea has been making significant strides in transitioning to renewable energy sources, especially offshore wind energy. The country has set ambitious goals for expanding its offshore wind capacity, aiming to become a global leader in offshore wind power. With the government’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, there is a strong push for sustainable energy solutions.

In addition, South Korea has strategically positioned itself as a key player in global maritime and logistics, thanks to its world-class ports and shipyards. The Busan port is the 6th busiest container port in the world, and South Korea is home to world-class shipyards such as Hyundai Heavy Industries, Samsung Heavy Industries, and Hanwha Ocean. With these resources and infrastructure, South Korea is well-positioned to be a central hub in East Asia for both maritime and shipbuilding. Furthermore, the maritime and offshore sectors are expected to expand as global trade and energy demands increase.

Overall, South Korea’s future in energy and oceans looks to be a dynamic one, with a strong emphasis on sustainability, technological innovation, and global leadership in renewable energy.

What do you enjoy most about working as part of the ABL Group team in Seoul?

“What I enjoy most about being part of the ABL Group team in Seoul is the opportunity to work alongside talented and dedicated professionals. The collaborative environment fosters innovative thinking and continuous learning, which drives our team to deliver high-quality solutions for our clients. Sunjung Kim at OWC Korea plays a key role in helping us come together as one team.

As part of that, we often meet up at the pub after work. We’re also planning a cooking class soon, but here’s the thing—I’m terrible at cooking! Honestly, I’m not too excited to join, but part of me thinks my ‘skills’ might end up giving the team a good laugh.”

More about Jeongmin

Position: Country Lead, Korea

Office: Seoul, South Korea

Hobbies: I enjoy playing and watching football and baseball, and camping with my family

Favourite movie: Films by Quentin Tarantino

Favourite song: “Songs by The Beatles and Oasis are my favourite”

From the 26th-28th of November, ABL will be attending the upcoming APAC Wind Energy Summit 2024 by (GWEC) showcasing our solutions to support South Korea’s drive for 14.3 GW by 2030. Join Jeongmin and the rest of our local team at the event and discover how ABL Group is driving wind farm projects from concept through to construction and operations.

Get in touch with our office in South Korea and book a meeting with our team:

The post Meet Jeongmin Hwang, Country Lead – ABL Korea. appeared first on ABL.

Some highlights from the month:

• ABL Group companies ABL and Longitude attended SMM Hamburg 2024, with Stefano Scarpa, ABL Group’s Associate Director for Maritime Decarbonisation chairing a panel for International Windship Association on the topic “How to get more wind propulsion technology on ships.”
• IUMI 2024 in Berlin was well attended by ABL Group team members from around the world. Alex Harrison, ABL Group MD for Energy Services gave a presentation on the critical panel discussion of “Installation vessel shortages for offshore wind projects.” Christoph Grams, Senior Maritime Surveyor for ABL Germany participated on the Ocean Hull committee’s panel discussion “Conflict to Clean Energy: The Shipping Sector’s Route through Contemporary Challenges.”
• ABL Group companies ABL, OWC and Longitude exhibited at WindEnergy Hamburg 2024, with a large delegation of offshore wind specialists from around Europe supporting the significant in-house capabilities of the local office to showcase the Group’s though-life expertise for offshore wind projects.
• In addition, ABL Germany has won another contract from Germany’s Federal Marine and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) to support the DEMASK Project – Development and Evaluation of Noise Management Strategies to keep the North Sea Healthy. ABL’s role in the project includes scenario design for assessing various noise mitigation strategies, utilising AIS-derived and synthetic vessel data inputs to support sound propagation modelling. ABL Germany will lead this project with specialist support from the Ports & Harbours team in London.

About ABL Group in Germany

ABL Group in Germany is based in Hamburg and has an established presence in the German market since 2019. Our local capabilities combine ABL’s marine legacy, excellence and track record with OWC’s renewable energy consultancy and engineering expertise.

Our local team boasts significant multi-disciplined expertise across marine and engineering, including marine engineers, marine surveyors, master mariners, structural engineers, subsea engineers, naval architects and marine civil engineers. Through key new hires, the local expertise has recently extended to CVA to support local and global offshore infrastructure.

ABL Germany Key Contacts

Tilo Klappenbach

Country Manager Germany

Christoph Grams

Senior Marine Surveyor, ABL Germany

Nils Falkenhorst

Country Manager OWC Germany

Today, our local office is established as the local leader in renewable energy supporting offshore wind projects from feasibility and construction to operations and decommissioning.

ABL Group Germany offshore wind track record:

• +20 Offshore Wind Farms
• +9 GW of Capacity
• +4 Wind Energy Yield Assessments for the BSH since 2020
• +5 Marine Navigational Studies & Quantitative Navigational Analyses

ABL Germany provides the company’s full technical offering to support renewables, maritime, and oil & gas sectors in Germany and the surrounding countries.

ABL Germany recent news:

• ABL to identify Navigational Risk to German North Sea Offshore Wind Sites – ABL Group (abl-group.com/abl)
• ABL completes German subsea pipeline installation project – ABL Group (abl-group.com/abl)
• Iberdrola appoints ABL Group for marine support services – ABL Group (abl-group.com/abl)
• ABL reaches key milestone on TenneT’s Sued Ost Link project – ABL Group (abl-group.com/abl)

Explore our local expertise:

The post ABL Group’s Active Month in Germany: September 2024 Roundup appeared first on ABL.

Centre Manche 1 and Centre Manche 2 are part of two offshore wind projects – Appel d’Offre 4 (AO4) and Appel d’Offre 8 (AO8) – that aim to contribute towards the French government’s ambition of allocating 1 GW of offshore wind energy per year, from 2023 onwards.

Centre Manche 1 will connect the AO4 (1,050) offshore wind farm and part of AO8 (200MW) to the 400 kV substation at Menuel through a 100 km long DC export cable. Centre Manche 2 will connect the A08 offshore wind farm to the 400 kV substation at Tourbe via a 105 km long DC cable. Both offshore substations will each have a capacity of 1.25 GW.

ABL’s operations in France will act as marine warranty surveyor (MWS) for the transportation and installation campaign for the Centre Manche 1 and 2 offshore substations, the 100 km long DC export cable, and the three 2 km long interstation links.

The platforms will be sister topsides, with an estimated weight of 13,300 tonnes each, while the jackets will weigh approximately 7,000 tons each.

ABL’s scope of work will cover the technical review and approval of all T&I engineering documentation pertaining to warranted activities, participation to HAZID/HAZOP meetings, suitability surveys of the installation vessels, onshore and offshore attendances to approve the marine operations, and issue of certificates of approval.

“Being selected for this project reflects our technical reputation in the French market, particularly for T&I work for France’s offshore wind projects, including bottom-fixed platforms and subsea cables. Further to this, our in-house team of marine and engineering consultants draws upon experience from more than 330 offshore wind projects globally.”

Hugues Delanoue, Regional Managing Director for ABL

ABL’s expertise in offshore wind extends to a through-life technical offering with services to support from initial feasibility and concept development, through to engineering, marine advisory and ports and harbours infrastructure consultancy, to marine warranty survey to support at both construction, operational, and decommissioning phases.

“We have a proud history of involvement in our country’s expanding offshore wind market, supporting our French clients in the successful delivery of the three first operational windfarms in France, and now working to realise the next three offshore wind farms that are under construction.”

Fabien Thomas, Head of MWS Services at ABL France

The company’s work will begin in the third quarter of 2024 and continue until project delivery in 2032. ABL is part of Oslo-listed consultancy group ABL Group ASA.

Discover more on ABL France’s technical service offering to support French offshore wind and other marine renewable energy projects, from engineering and development, through to transportation and installation (T&I):

The post ABL appointed to France’s Centre Manche offshore grid connections appeared first on ABL.

“Winning the DEMASK scope of work reflects the successful collaboration between ABL Germany and BSH in driving sustainable solutions in bothy Germany’s energy and marine landscapes. This is in line with our company’s purpose of driving sustainability in energy and oceans. We will support BSH in performing technical analyses to help reduce noise pollution in the German North Sea and beyond.”

Christoph Grams, Marine Consultant, ABL Germany

The aim of the project is to engage marine stakeholders in defining and understanding the environmental impacts of underwater noise resulting from the expansion of offshore wind energy and shipping. The initiative, in support of maritime spatial planning and policy development, includes stakeholders from port authorities, offshore energy, shipping and the policy level.  

ABL’s scope of work covers the scenario design for the assessment of various noise mitigation strategies, as well as producing AIS-derived and (where necessary) synthetic vessel data inputs to support subsequent sound propagation modelling. As part of the initial project implementation, focus groups have been held, where stakeholders have helped define and select the most relevant scenarios.

The DEMASK project has been awarded to ABL’s operations in Germany, based in Hamburg, and follows on from ABL’s collaboration with BSH to assess the navigational risk around identified sites of interest for offshore wind development in the German, Danish and Dutch North Sea. It is supported by technical expertise from the Ports and Harbours team in London.

“With our maritime legacy, covering shipping, ports and harbours, defence, yachts and small craft industries, we are uniquely placed to support this project and to provide the required recommendations to reduce noise pollution for a friendlier and healthier North Sea.”

Tilo Klappenbach, Country Manager to ABL Germany

ABL is part of Oslo-listed consultancy group ABL Group ASA.

Discuss ABL’s work in marine navigational analysis and ports and harbours infrastructure feasibility, to support offshore wind construction and operations, with Tom Chitseko, Marine Risk Principal Consultant, at this year’s Wind Energy Hamburg:

Where: Stand 422, Hall B2, Ground Floor

When: 24 -27 September 2024

Book a meeting in advance with Tom:

The post ABL appointed to offshore wind noise pollution brief appeared first on ABL.