Safetec Assists Odfjell Oceanwind with Emergency Response Studies

Odfjell Oceanwind develops, owns and operates a fleet of floating Mobile Offshore Wind Units (MOWUs). The primary purpose of the MOWUs is to supply electricity to “off-grid” or “micro-grid” consumers.

The technology consists of a semi-submersible hull qualified for some of the harshest environments in the world. Floating offshore wind units represent new challenges in terms of safety and emergency response, e.g., the rules and regulations for wind farms on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) are not yet clarified. Odfjell Oceanwind has engaged Safetec to help make sure that the relevant challenges are properly identified, analyzed and handled. Safetec has decades of experiences within emergency response for different offshore installations and has adopted this approach to offshore wind farms.

During the Autumn 2021 and Winter 2022 Safetec performed an emergency preparedness analysis (EPA) as well as an escape and evacuation study (EERA) for the MOWUs. The EPA has identified Defined Situations of Hazards and Accidents (DSHA), emergency response challenges and emergency response strategy for the MOWUs. The EERA has calculated evacuation times to muster areas for relevant accident scenarios.

The work has provided Odfjell Oceanwind with important input to the planning and design of the emergency response for the MOWUs.