Final preparations for the start of installation works of the offshore part of the Baltic Power wind farm. Polish fishermen will support construction safety at sea.

Three Polish fishing vessels will support the construction of the Baltic Power offshore wind farm. They will start operations along with the beginning of the offshore installation works scheduled for early 2025.

Baltic Power is the only offshore wind farm project in the Polish part of the Baltic Sea that has reached the construction phase. In addition to advanced work on the construction of the onshore infrastructure and the production of its key components, final preparations are being made to start the construction of the offshore part.

Foundations are currently being transported to the transshipment ports, once tjeir installation starts, it will initiate the construction process of the offshore part of the farm. This will be the first operation of its kind in the Polish part of the Baltic Sea. It requires significant preparations, including the setting up of the Marine Coordination Centre, securing of the Crew Transportation Vessels and Guard Vessels, that will act as supervisory to ensure, among other things, the safety of traffic around the offshore construction site. Baltic Power entrusted this task to a Polish contractor, who has engaged Polish vessels and crews to carry out the work.

As part of the contract with MEWO, three Guard Vessels flying the flag of Poland, with crews consisting of 2-5 people, will operate in the farm area throughout the installation work. Those fishing vessels are specially prepared for work in the offshore wind sector. The crews' task will be to supervise and communicate with other vessels passing in the vicinity of the installation work, including fishing vessels, tourist and commercial vessels.

We are in the final stage of commencing marine installation works at the Baltic Power offshore farm site. We are pleased that the surveillance activities around the construction area will be carried out by crews associated with the fishing industry. These are people who know these waters very well; their experience on the see is very valuable to us. This is important not only for safety reasons, because thanks to the cooperation with the fishing crews we are directly involving members of the local community in the construction of Baltic Power,’ says Jarosław Broda, Member of the Board of Baltic Power.

It is not the first time Baltic Power has involved Polish fishermen in the project. Their vessels were used during the environmental surveys. Two fishing boats, four angling boats and their crews worked a total of 420 days during that time. They were used by teams of scientists studying ichthyofauna, seabirds and migratory birds.

The project has also secured other important contracts recently, including the one for crew transport vessels (CTV) during the construction of the Baltic Power farm. Their operator Farra Marine is deploying two vessels to the site to transport crews from the service base in Łeba. The preparation of a seabed of a 130 km2 area for installation work and boulder clearance is also underway.

By the end of 2024, preparations for the start of the actual offshore works will take off. At that time, the Polish company Elecom of Gdynia will install buoys to separate the Baltic Power construction area from the marine traffic.

From this point onwards, the Guard Vesell units will also start their operations. Their work will be coordinated by the Baltic Power Marine Coordination Centre in Łeba (operating from a temporary location until the service base is operational). The centre will be responsible for monitoring of all maritime traffic operations in the area of the offshore wind farm, i.e. vessel tracking, personnel transfers, construction equipment movements and transport of farm components.

The Baltic Power offshore wind farm - a joint venture between ORLEN Group and Northland Power - is the most advanced offshore wind project in Poland and the only one under construction. Construction of its onshore infrastructure has been underway since 2023, and at the beginning of 2025, the company will begin installation works at sea. Baltic Power is expected to cover as much as 3% of the country's energy needs, while reducingCO2 emissions by around 2.8 million tonnes per year.