Tugdock, Sarens to Develop Heavy Lift O&M Hub at ABP’s Welsh Port

SGC-250, the Sarens’ giant crane nicknamed Big Carl by the Port of Ghent (Credit: Sarens)

Tugdock and Sarens have secured funding from Crown Estate’s Supply Chain Accelerator for a joint project to develop a heavy lift operations and maintenance (O&M) hub at ABP’s port of Port Talbot in Wales to support floating wind projects in the region.

With key support from major industry players such as ABP and RWE, and other partnerships, the vision for the facility is to provide support for heavy lift equipment used in floating offshore wind projects in the Celtic Sea.

Port Talbot's strategic location near the Celtic Sea makes it an optimal hub for supporting floating offshore wind projects, significantly reducing transit times and operational costs for maintenance, assembly, and logistics.

Sarens offers crane rental services, heavy lifting and engineered transport, while Tugdock specializes in engineering and deployment of Tugdock Submersible Platforms (TSPs) for offshore transport and logistics projects.

The Tugdock technology consists of modular road transportable steel space frames utilising patented inflatable Tugdock Buoyancy Units (TBUs). The TBUs are filled with compressed air and can be inflated or deflated as required to provide the required buoyancy, stability and control for operations such as load outs, floating, submerging, and lifting.

“The Tugdock and Sarens O&M facility is poised to boost the competitiveness of Port Talbot in both the national and global floating offshore wind markets in the years to come. Collectively we will ensure that ABP’s Port Talbot is enabled with a heavy lift facility that can attract and retain major clients and maintain the UK’s leading position in the floating offshore wind industry,” said Lucas Lowe Houghton, Chief Revenue Officer at Tugdock.

“The Sarens and Tugdock O&M hub will provide a wide range of services including heavy lifting equipment such as cranes and TSPs, assembly areas, storage, training, and consultancy. This all-encompassing service model reduces the need for clients to engage multiple contractors, simplifying project management and reducing overall costs,” added Carl Sarens, Director of Global Operations, Technical Solutions and Engineering at Sarens.

To remind, Tugdock and Sarens are among 13 companies selected to share nearly $6.4 million in funding through the initial round of Crown Estate’s Supply Chain Accelerator program.

• Crown Estate Selects 13 Firms to Share $6.4M OW Supply Chain Prize