FoundOcean Projects BLOG

Day 1: We travelled to Heysham today to swap out three men. 12 of the 31 jackets are completed so far and after a handover and a description of the day to day routine, we’re ready to take on the next stage of the operation. We finished loading cement at noon and had 12 hours to settle in before the Else Marie sailed again to the Ormonde Offshore Windfarm.

Day 2: Sailed last night at about midnight. The short trip was a little bumpy with a fair bit of wind blowing. After a 6h30 breakfast I had a look on deck to confirm the weather was too bad for some routine maintenance, as the odd wave sloshed across the deck. Early evening and there’s still plenty of white horse’s about but we seem to be getting our sea legs and the colour is returning to a few faces. The barge is expected on Tuesday and hopefully with weather permitting we can get started by mid week.

Day 3: A vast improvement in the weather today meant we could do some maintenance and a function test on our equipment. With a clearer view we could also see the sheer scale of the windfarm project as the installations stand proud around us in organised rows. The barge is due tomorrow with the next four jackets and hopefully this good weather will stay with us for a while.

Ormonde jackets with Barrow Windfarm visible	A calm day out at the windfarm	Sunset over Rambiz and the jackets

Day 4: The sun is out again today although there is a definite drop in the temperature. Autumn is well on its way; it gives a sense of urgency as it won’t be long before the cold winds and constant swell comes. For now all we can do is sit and wait for the delivery.

Day 5: Good weather again today and the news is it is expected good for five days. We grouted  WTG 13  today  and it all went very smoothly. We expect to complete four jackets in four days weather permitting. The Rambiz has installed the next jacket ahead of us for tomorrow and judging by the time it took, from our view is also seems to have gone quite well.

Day 6: Another early start today but the good weather has all of the crew in good spirits. Grouting of WTG 17 was completed with no difficulties today and the forecast is still good for at least the rest of the week. The Rambiz has installed another jacket at its ease this afternoon and we will grout it tomorrow. All going well we will finish these four by Saturday 2nd and head to shore to load with cement before returning to location and starting again.

Day's 7-8: Operations are on hold as of last night but we're using the time to clean and test our grouting equipment. There’s a slight breeze gathering; I hope the weather isn’t changing on us as it would be a pity to have missed out on a good weather window.

FoundOcean cement silo	FoundOcean crew pumping grout	Technician making grout cubes

Day 9: Grouting of WTG 15 went well today! Weather wise there was a slight breeze and a bit of rain, certainly it was too rough for the Rambiz to install a jacket but it was well within our grouting limits. We started our operations at 7am after our toolbox meetings. We finished grouting around 13h. The fresh air will have done us all good and we will sleep well tonight!

Day 10: There is a bit of a swell today and there no more jackets are being installed until the piles have been cleaned, nevertheless we were out on deck early and did some equipment maintenance. We plan to head to shore tonight and load with cement tomorrow morning and change out some of the crew. Everybody is looking forward to getting their feet on solid ground if only for one night.

Day 11: Transferred the cement today. We took 150 tonne aboard to replenish our stock. Three of the crew changed out and at 19h we are to sail for operations location again. The cleaning equipment for the piles is due in the next day or so and all going well, we will be grouting again by the 9th.

Inspecting the surge tank	Oh, how the weather can change!	The underside of the WTG jackets

Day 12: We sailed out to the windfarm last night and are still on standby for the cleaning operations. A serious weather front across the Atlantic is occurring and we know it will only be a matter of time before we feel some of the effects on this side.

Day 13: On standby again today with weather but the news is we might get a short window of opportunity for a few days’ operations from tomorrow. We will make the most of it.

Day 14: Grouting operations are still on standby but the good news is that the weather has improved just enough for the Rambiz to install a jacket today and we expect to grout it tomorrow. Unfortunately a weather front from the west looks as if it will put us on hold for a few days after tomorrow. We ran our equipment for a short time to ensure all is ok before tomorrow and an early night will help.

Day 15: An early start this morning and by early afternoon we had completed grouting of WTG 14; meanwhile the Rambiz has installed WTG 18. The weather is set to deteriorate from tomorrow so we concluded that as WTG 18 was installed we will grout it this evening rather than take our chances with the weather tomorrow. A few hiccups with fuses etc. nothing major but it meant an 18hr shift. We finished the grouting of the second jacket by 24h and soon after we were in our bunks for a well earned rest.

Day 16: Weather is not as bad as I expected this morning but we cannot install another jacket and grout it as the weather is set to change severely tomorrow. High winds and waves of up to 5 meters are expected over the next few days so we will sail to port tonight and get some leave until the weather improves. The Rambiz has sailed to take shelter around the Isle of Man. We will clean and store our equipment and leave the vessel tomorrow.