Offshore wind farm development requires precise data and insights, and Spinergie's Market Intelligence solution helps developers build that crucial knowledge at every step of the process.
This use case takes a deep dive into how our client, a developer, used the in-depth vessel performance analytics, historical data, and market trends within the solution to plan an export cable lay scope.
Context
The client was undertaking the planning and development phase of a bottom-fixed wind farm project in a mature offshore wind region. They needed Spinergie's Market Intelligence to better understand vessel performance during the export cable laying phases of previous projects in the region.
Challenge
With accurate intel on projects of similar size and scope as their upcoming wind farm development, the client could confidently forecast this element of the construction phase. They wanted analysis to be as user-friendly and efficient as possible, with all relevant data and contextual information available in a single source. This would:
- reduce a steep learning curve for the team;
- minimize the need for them to undertake training programs for multiple sources;
- eliminate the need to use a third-party solution to consolidate their learnings.
Spinergie’s Market Intelligence Solution
Spinergie’s Market Intelligence platform takes a holistic approach, presenting in-depth vessel performance analytics reinforced with solid contextual data. This added context became crucial for the client in understanding specific impacts on a like-for-like basis.
Here, we outline which tools the client used within the solution to build their analysis.
The Live Map
Spinergie’s map contains multiple layers utilized by the client, from the cable-specific to geographical layers, such as seabed sediments and weather, to pinpoint similar conditions cable-lay vessels have operated in.
Historical data on weather patterns helped the developer assess the feasibility of different cable-laying schedules. Meanwhile, building on their knowledge of previous experiences with similar seabed sediments helped the developer plan for the cable lay program.
Cables
The cable map layer illustrates the global cable landscape. With clear color coding, the client could identify which types of cables were laid and where. This made selecting the cables most relevant to their research a simpler and more efficient task.
This layer provides a high-level representation of activity, with important details included in tooltips, including project name, cable type, cable length, and water depth, as well as any spec details such as voltage, transmission type, and configuration. Equipped with this data, the client better understood previous and ongoing activity in their region.
Cable Laying Sections
Once again, this layer highlights high-level information such as the project the cable is attached to, the type of cable (power, array, etc.), and its status (fully commissioned, under construction, or decommissioned). The tooltip also contains more project-specific information, including the start and end dates of the installation, the section length, and the average speed of the vessel during the installation.
This information allowed the client to visualize the headline trends within the region. It also allowed them to gauge the general timelines expected for an installation program in areas with similar geographical makeup to their upcoming project.
Vessel market analysis
Now the client had a better understanding of the cable landscape in their region, including a general idea of installation timings, they were ready to take a deep dive into the vessel market.
Vessel List
Spinergie’s vessel database includes over 90 active and under construction cable lay vessels (CLV) with advanced filtering capabilities, allowing users to widen or narrow their spec criteria. The client used the intuitive filters to discover the vessels that fit the scope of their project.
Vessel Comparator
The client preferred to see their selected vessels side by side for easy comparative analysis. They found this capability directly within the solution and could manipulate the data as required: adding or removing spec fields, adding their own intel (visible only to their team), and downloading for use outside of the app environment.
Fleet Analysis
The fleet analysis dashboard contains charts that provide key data points, including supply, build analysis, location, attrition, lay-up, and reactivation. Together, these charts build a bigger picture of market dynamics and answer some questions the client wanted to answer, such as:
- How many vessels within our required specifications are currently laid up, and how many are on hire?
- What is the average age of vessels that meet our specifications?
- Where are the majority of the selected vessels currently based?
- How many vessels meet our specifications and will any further vessels be delivered within the next two years?
Vessel Schedule
The vessel schedule allowed the client to view the previous schedule of their selected vessels. It gave them a visual representation of what each vessel has undertaken in recent years while also showing what future projects are already booked. The client also used the schedule as a communication tool, using the annotation capability to flag important comments and keep everyone informed.
Cable Performance
Spinergie’s Cable Performance analysis is split into two dashboards: Export/Power and Array. The client sought to understand export performance; however, the array dashboard contains a similar analysis but is calculated differently.
By using the analysis in this dashboard, the client could answer:
- Which of their shortlisted vessels performed best in laying wind farm export cables.
- Which vessels have the most experience, i.e., overall km of cables laid.
- Which of the vessels had the fastest laying speed for wind farm export cables.
Laid Cable Summary
Using the Laid Cable Summary chart, the client could see an overview of the types of projects selected vessels had previously undertaken (wind farm export cable, interconnector, or oil and gas power cable) and the number of days (or km laid and spooling days) the vessel had undertaken for each sector. This gave a good indication of each vessel's experience in wind farm export work.
For future analysis, the client can revisit this chart and select additional metrics to understand each vessel's experience with other market elements, such as cable manufacturers or developers.
Laying Speed Distribution
The Laying Speed Distribution chart is the heart of the performance analysis dashboard. It depicts, in knots, the speed of each vessel when laying each cable type.
Understanding the laying speed distribution helps developers estimate the time required for their export project, allowing them to allocate resources (vessels, personnel, equipment) more effectively. It also helped the client calculate probable fuel consumption and the project duration, leading to more accurate cost and emissions estimates.
Cable Laying Vessel Days Analysis
Finally, the Cable Laying Vessel Days Analysis provides a breakdown of days spent on the campaign quantified by the portion of cable laid (in km) and broken into activity types.
This helped the client visualize the amount of “productive” time spent per section (i.e., time spent in the actual laying process vs. auxiliary activities such as ashore, transit, etc.).
Result
Spinergie’s Market Intelligence had several benefits for the client. Being able to undertake the analysis from start to finish within a single solution made tracking and sharing progress within the team significantly easier - especially as specific communication tools such as annotations and bookmarking are built in.
Using the vessel analysis tools, the client could accurately assess vessel technological capabilities and capacities to build a shortlist before performance analysis. This was a significant time-saver, as it meant the client could discount several vessels based on capabilities or availability and only undertake performance evaluations of their curated shortlist.
Using the cable performance dashboard gave the client a clearer idea of each shortlisted vessel's prior experience and performance, i.e., speed, to date. This helped the client create realistic project timelines and build contingency plans into the scope. It was also a significant factor in refining their cost estimates for the cable lay project and aided resource planning.
Overall, understanding cable lay vessel performance from previous wind farm projects in the same region was essential for the client to plan a successful and efficient cable lay program. Spinergie’s Market Intelligence helped the developer make informed decisions about vessel selection, project planning, risk management, and cost estimation.
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