UNITED · Project

Shared Offshore Platforms That Let Multiple Marine Industries Split Costs and Space

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h2020united.eu

Imagine you own a piece of ocean where you run a wind farm. Right next to your turbines, someone else could grow mussels, and a third company could run marine tourism — all sharing the same infrastructure and permits. The UNITED project built and tested exactly this idea at real offshore sites across Europe, proving that combining multiple sea-based activities in one location cuts costs and reduces environmental impact. Think of it like a shared office building, but on the open sea — instead of each business renting a whole building, they share floors and split the bills.

By the numbers

Pilot demonstrator sites deployed across Europe

Consortium partners involved

European countries represented

Industry partners in the consortium

SMEs participating in the project

Total project deliverables produced

66%

Industry participation ratio in the consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Offshore industries — wind energy, aquaculture, tourism, environmental monitoring — each fight for their own piece of ocean, duplicating infrastructure costs and competing for permits. There is no established way to share offshore platforms across industries, no clear legal responsibility model, and no proven insurance or financing structure for multi-use marine sites. Companies end up paying full price for infrastructure that could serve multiple purposes.

The solution

What was built

The project built and operated 5 offshore pilot demonstrators combining multiple marine activities at shared sites. Concrete outputs include: design and construction plans for multi-use platforms, operational blueprints for shared offshore sites, adapted monitoring and mooring systems for co-located uses, training programs for technology transfer, and economic/legal/environmental assessment tools for multi-use feasibility — totaling 54 deliverables.

Audience

Who needs this

Offshore wind farm operators looking to generate additional revenue from underused sea spaceAquaculture companies seeking cost-effective offshore expansion sitesMaritime spatial planning authorities managing competing ocean use claimsMarine insurance companies developing products for shared-use offshore assetsPort authorities and coastal infrastructure managers exploring multi-use concepts

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Offshore Wind Energy

enterprise

Target: Offshore wind farm operators looking to maximize revenue from existing sea leases

If you are an offshore wind operator dealing with high infrastructure costs and underused sea space between turbines — this project developed and tested multi-use platform designs that allow co-location of aquaculture, monitoring, or tourism alongside wind installations. With 5 real pilot sites tested across Europe and 29 consortium partners validating the approach, you get proven blueprints for turning dead space into revenue.

Marine Aquaculture

SME

Target: Aquaculture companies seeking new offshore growing sites at lower cost

If you are an aquaculture company struggling with coastal space competition and rising site costs — this project demonstrated how to co-locate fish or shellfish farming within existing offshore energy infrastructure. The pilots tested monitoring, mooring, and management systems adapted for multi-use, giving you operational blueprints and pre-tested equipment configurations for offshore co-location.

Maritime Insurance and Finance

enterprise

Target: Marine insurers and investment firms evaluating multi-use offshore risk

If you are an insurer or investment firm trying to assess the risk profile of shared offshore platforms — this project specifically investigated insurance issues, profitability thresholds, and investment payoff for multi-use developments. With data from 5 pilot demonstrators and 9 countries, you get real-world evidence to price policies and evaluate financing for this emerging asset class.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to implement a multi-use offshore platform?

The project investigated profitability thresholds and investment payoff for multi-use developments, but specific cost figures are not publicly available in the project data. The core value proposition is cost reduction through shared infrastructure — contact the consortium for site-specific economic models from their 5 pilot demonstrators.

Has this been tested at industrial scale?

Yes. UNITED ran 5 pilot demonstrators at real offshore sites across 9 European countries. These were pre-operational pilots with actual equipment deployment, monitoring systems, and operational blueprints — not just lab experiments. The consortium included 19 industry partners, confirming real-world applicability.

What about intellectual property and licensing?

The project produced 54 deliverables including design and construction plans, operational blueprints, and training materials for technology transfer. The technology transfer deliverable explicitly addresses IP management including drafting and filing patents. Licensing terms would need to be negotiated with the consortium coordinator, Deltares.

What regulatory approvals are needed for multi-use offshore platforms?

UNITED specifically tackled the legal and governance gaps — including the lack of dialogue between permit-issuing institutions, missing health and safety regulations for multi-use, and the absence of legal responsibility assignments. Their findings provide a roadmap for navigating the current regulatory landscape across 9 European countries.

How long does it take to set up a multi-use offshore site?

The project ran from 2020 to 2023, with pilots going through design, pre-testing, adaptation, and operational phases. Based on available project data, expect a multi-phase process including pre-testing of materials, equipment adaptation to local conditions (depth, turbidity, seabed), and personnel training before full operation.

Can this integrate with our existing offshore infrastructure?

Yes — that is the core design principle. The project adapted monitoring, mooring, docking, and management systems of existing marine platforms to accommodate multiple co-located uses. The deliverables include specific design modifications and construction plans for retrofitting existing infrastructure.

Consortium

Who built it

The UNITED consortium is exceptionally strong for commercialization, with 29 partners across 9 countries and a 66% industry ratio — one of the highest you will see in EU research projects. Out of 29 partners, 19 are industry players and 13 are SMEs, meaning the technology was developed with direct input from the companies that would actually use it. The coordinator, Deltares (Netherlands), is a major applied research institute specializing in water and subsurface infrastructure. The geographic spread across Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Greece, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, and the UK covers most of Europe's key maritime economies. With only 2 universities in the consortium, this is clearly an implementation-focused project rather than an academic exercise.

STICHTING DELTARESCoordinator · NL
WINGS ICT SOLUTIONS TECHNOLOGIES PLIROFORIKIS KAI EPIKOINONION ANONYMI ETAIREIAparticipant · EL
COLRUYT GROUPparticipant · BE
NEDERLANDSE ORGANISATIE VOOR TOEGEPAST NATUURWETENSCHAPPELIJK ONDERZOEK TNOparticipant · NL
UNIVERSITEIT GENTparticipant · BE
INSTITUT ROYAL DES SCIENCES NATURELLES DE BELGIQUEparticipant · BE
PARKWINDparticipant · BE
BREVISCOparticipant · BE
JAN DE NUL NVparticipant · BE
STICHTING NOORDZEEBOERDERIJparticipant · NL
HIDROMOD MODELACAO EM ENGENHARIA LDAparticipant · PT
OCEANS OF ENERGY BVparticipant · NL
SYDDANSK UNIVERSITETparticipant · DK
FORSCHUNGS- UND ENTWICKLUNGSZENTRUM FACHHOCHSCHULE KIEL GMBHparticipant · DE
ACTEON SARLparticipant · FR
KONGSBERG MARITIME CONTROS GMBHparticipant · DE
ECOLOGIC INSTITUT GEMEINNUTZIGE GMBHparticipant · DE
SUBMARINER NETWORK FOR BLUE GROWTH EWIVparticipant · DE
STICHTING WAGENINGEN RESEARCHparticipant · NL

How to reach the team

Deltares (Netherlands) — a leading applied research institute for water and subsurface. Search for UNITED project coordinator at Deltares for direct contact.

Order a report on this consortium See STICHTING DELTARES profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the UNITED consortium for licensing their multi-use platform designs or pilot data? SciTransfer can connect you with the right partner — contact us for a matchmaking consultation.

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