Ramsgate rides the windfarm wave
Port Ramsgate (Ramsgate Royal Harbour extreme left). Left of centre is the site of the operations and maintenance base for London Array. Right of centre is Vattenfall’s Thanet Offshore wind farm site with the newly built block in the centre. Photo by Peter Barker
Offshore wind farm developments are bringing welcome business to many sectors of the marine industries in the UK and the port of Ramsgate is one of the many ports small and large reaping the benefit of what is promising to be a significant long term opportunity.
One of the largest concentrations of wind farms both operational and under development is the Thanet Offshore, Kentish Flats, London Array, Gunfleet and Greater Gabbard cluster in the Thames estuary. Some 13km and 24km respectively from the Thanet Offshore and London Array sites, Ramsgate is particularly well placed for these schemes and has been selected as the operations and maintenance base for both ventures.
The two basic phases to such ports’ involvement in wind farms are the construction phase and the ongoing maintenance requirement once the wind farms are operational. Ports like Ramsgate can probably never really compete with the likes of Dunkirk, Vlissingen and Harwich, which have been among the principle load-out ports for the Thames estuary sites, particularly as most of the major components originate from the European mainland.
However, Ramsgate was the main base for A2SEA’s Sea Jack while deployed on Vattenfall’s Thanet Offshore Wind Farm. The 100 monopiles and the final 14 transition pieces were transported to Ramsgate by barge from Vlissingen and transferred to the Sea Jack, the close proximity of Ramsgate to the site an obvious attraction. It is difficult however to see much more than this locally welcome form of activity at Ramsgate given the limited space at the port. Being principally a small craft port does however present advantages for Ramsgate when it comes to accommodating the small tug, workboat and crew boat fleets. At its peak over 30 such vessels were involved with the Thanet Offshore wind farm.
Ramsgate comprises the old historic Royal Harbour, home to an inshore fishing fleet and a popular marina. The thriving Ramsgate Harbour Slipways Ltd offers four slips capable of accommodating vessels up to 60m LOA and 700 tons displacement in the Royal Harbour. Adjacent to the Royal Harbour is Port Ramsgate with three ro-ro berths and home to Transeuropa Ferries services to Ostend. Thanet District Council owns and operates both harbours.
There are signs now that Thanet Council is making further moves to develop the opportunities that wind farms offer. It recently secured £1.5m funding from the EU Ports Adapting To Change project and has embarked on a programme of dredging the harbour and pontoons area. New additional pontoons will be added and a new fuel berth. Some 75% of the funding will come from the London Array project. The dredging operation sees the return once again of the grab dredgers Lantic Bayand Admiral Day from Wyre Marine Services.
In Ramsgate Port the existing buildings of Vattenfall’s Thanet Offshore windfarm have now been joined by a new purpose built operations building while nearby a large area of land is being prepared for a similar operations and maintenance base including berthing facilities for up to six service vessels for London Array.
By Peter Barker
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