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4 October 2019
On Tuesday 1 October Atlas Professionals hosted a site visit to the pre-assembly site of MHI Vestas Offshore Wind (MVOW) in Vlissingen, the Netherlands. A group of 21 Scalda students, pursuing technical secondary vocational education with a minor in Wind, were able to see the turbines, nacelles and blades up close. The site visit is part of Atlas Professionals wider initiative to enthuse professionals and students completing technical education to choose for a career in (offshore) wind.
Safety first on site
MVOW’s experience in the Dutch offshore wind market dates back to 2007, when the first offshore wind power plant was installed. The 20 hectares pre-assembly site, located at the BOW Terminal in the Port of Vlissingen, was established in 2018. So far, the site has serviced the Norther offshore wind park, located 23 km off the Belgian coast. It is currently servicing Northwester 2, after which it will supply for Borssele 3 & 4.
The site visit started with a visitor safety introduction by Kim from MVOW in their office block located on the site. Potential safety hazards, such as crane operations and trips and slips, were highlighted and MVOW’s safety culture was put in the spotlight. Wearing safety boots, safety glasses, a hard hat and high visibility vests, the students were now fully prepared to enter the site and see the equipment up close.
Onshore pre-assembly
Before the students got to see the assembly process, MVOW Site Manager Jakob explained the role of the pre-assembly site in the total offshore wind farm process. The premise of pre-assembly is that the more work is performed onshore assembling turbines components and testing them, the more not only time and costs but also construction risks can be reduced during the more expensive offshore phase of a wind turbine installation project. Onshore pre-assembly reduces reliance on the weather, thus driving down installation costs, the amount of stoppage time, and health and safety risks.
The students experienced first-hand that the pre-assembly continues regardless of the weather conditions as it rained heavily at times. The rainfall could not take away the enthusiasm of the students, though. “Everybody living in or close to Vlissingen has seen the turbines from a distance. Getting this close to the blades and nacelles is a unique opportunity for the students and we are happy we could facilitate this visit today,” says Miranda de Kraker, Account Manager Renewables for Atlas Professionals in Vlissingen.
Atlas Professionals would like to thank MHI Vestas Offshore Wind for the opportunity to visit the pre-assembly site together with the Scalda students. For more information about site visits, please contact vlissingen@atlasprofessionals.com. Interested in working in (offshore) wind? Check our current open vacancies with MHI Vestas Offshore Wind here.
