Imagine a giant spring for a boat's anchor chain that absorbs the shock of heavy waves. Instead of using massive, heavy chains to resist the ocean's power, this device lets the line flex and bounce. This means you can use much lighter materials and smaller ships to install them without worrying about the equipment snapping.
Floating offshore wind turbines face prohibitively high CapEx and OpEx due to massive, expensive mooring chains and the need for specialized, high-cost installation vessels.
A patent-pending mooring component and a commercial-scale manufacturing process for the SeaSpring device.
If you are a developer dealing with high installation costs and heavy equipment — this project developed a mooring component that reduces peak loads by ~50%. This allows for lighter chains and the use of smaller deployment vessels, saving roughly €170k/day on vessel hire.
If you are a manufacturer dealing with high material costs and fatigue damage — this project developed a solution that reduces fatigue damage by 80%. This halves the required material in the mooring line, shrinking components from the anchor to the platform.
If you are an operator dealing with seabed damage and limited deployment sites — this project developed a semi-taut mooring system that reduces the environmental footprint. This eliminates seabed damage and allows for more efficient use of licensed ocean areas.
The solution helps FOWTs move toward a target levelised cost of energy (LCOE) of €90/MWh, down from €160/MWh.
The project includes the commissioning of a commercial scale factory and the development of commercial scale SeaSpring products to be market-ready.
The TfI SeaSprings innovation is described as patent-pending.
It reduces wear and tear by ~30% and allows the use of smaller, more available deployment vessels, reducing hire costs by ~€170k/day.
The project runs from December 2023 to August 2026, with the second reporting period focusing on the remaining technical objectives to become market-ready.
The project is led by a single Irish SME, TFI Marine Limited. While the formal consortium is small, the business execution is strong, having successfully integrated 5 major industry giants (RWE, Shell, EnBW, OceanWinds, and Scottish Renewable Power) as partners via a Carbon Trust project, alongside Unitech and Sustainable Energy for site and platform support.
TFI Marine Limited, Ireland
Contact TFI Marine for commercial mooring specifications and LCOE reduction data.
