Offshore wind developments are picking up pace. In the UK, for example, offshore wind now accounts for almost one-fifth of the nation’s total electricity needs. As developers from Europe and Asia push into deeper waters, further from shore, to harness more of this abundant resource, they are turning to floating solutions that support large turbines capable of capturing strong, steady ocean winds in deeper waters.
According to a new report from ABS and Intelatus Global Partners, early-stage and pre-commercial floating wind projects are expected to account for around 1 GW of commissioned generation between 2026 – 2030, primarily in Europe and East Asia-Pacific (EAPAC). As the industry moves into commercial scale deployment, capacity is projected to reach around 5 GW by 2035 and more than 14 GW by 2040.
Delivering that growth will require a substantial marine support operation, in particular high-capability offshore support vessels, such as large anchor handling tug supply vessels (AHTSs) with high bollard pull and multipurpose support vessels (MPSVs) with heavy-lift crane capacity and offshore construction capability. These vessels will be used to support towing, pre-installation of anchors and mooring lines, hook-up and tensioning activities, and installation of electrical array cables.
The hidden bottleneck
The existing offshore support vessel (OSV) fleet, largely developed to support offshore oil and gas activity, is technically capable of supporting floating wind projects – up to a point.
Each floating wind farm is component-intensive compared to a typical floating oil and gas unit. This has a compounding impact, with the wind farm requiring more mooring components per project, larger anchors, heavier and larger diameter chain, and large volumes of large diameter fibre rope handling capability.
This has a knock-on impact on the marine logistics ecosystem. Vessels need greater deck capacity, larger chain lockers, higher-capacity winches, and the ability to handle increasingly heavy equipment offshore. They may also require active heave compensation (AHC) and high-tonnage subsea crane capacity, together with the offshore construction capabilities needed to install and connect complex mooring and electrical systems, not to mention access to quay space for assembly and maintenance.
Competing for a limited fleet
These capabilities can only be met by the larger and more modern AHTSs and MPSVs. As a result of the newbuild downturn of the previous decade, these vessels account for a relatively small proportion of the existing fleet. And they will be in demand, with floating wind developers competing with offshore oil and gas operators and other emerging applications such as floating solar farms and aquaculture, for vessel hours.
As a result, the market could begin to tighten as early as 2029, according to the ABS and Intelatus analysis. For floating wind developers, that creates a potential risk well before many of the industry's largest projects reach full scale installation. OSV availability is about to become more than a logistics detail, it will increasingly become critical to timelines, budget, and execution.
What this means for developers…
For developers, this looming shortfall of OSV capacity is the signal to put vessel availability high on the project planning agenda. That means understanding exactly what marine capabilities a project will require, identifying suitable vessels and assessing whether those vessels will remain available as the wider floating wind pipeline develops. With lead times of three years for vessel construction and key equipment such as heavy lift cranes, developers need to start these conversations early.
…and for owners, designers and shipyards
With demonstration and pre-commercial activity increasing over the next four years, ahead of commercial scale project execution in the 2030s, there is now a meaningful market opportunity for those with floating wind support vessels at the ready. Capturing this opportunity means assessing how existing vessels could be repurposed for floating wind and what scale of newbuilding may be required to establish an early position in a promising long-term growth market. That raises a series of long-term investment decisions: whether to retrofit existing vessels or order newbuilds, what equipment and capabilities to specify, and which fuel and propulsion technologies will provide the greatest flexibility as the market evolves.
Planning for the fleet of the future
As floating wind projects increase in size and complexity, access to suitable AHTSs, MPSVs and other specialised offshore vessels will play a central role in determining how efficiently projects can be installed, maintained, and scaled. Companies that align vessel capability early with floating wind requirements will be better positioned as demand strengthens.
This is where technical expertise, classification, and advisory support can help the maritime industry navigate an emerging market. ABS has decades of experience in classification, certification, and technical advisory services across the offshore and maritime industries. Its involvement in floating wind includes certifying WindFloat 1 and supporting subsequent milestone projects including WindFloat Atlantic and the Kincardine offshore wind farm.
Owners and operators will need to make these decisions not just thinking about floating wind service as it is today, but what it may become as projects move from pilot and pre-commercial stage to full scale development. And the clock is ticking: developers may be planning projects for the 2030s, but the vessel decisions to make those projects a reality need to be made now.
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