A security drill was performed at the WindFloat Atlantic floating offshore wind farm, the world’s first semi-submersible floating wind farm, located on the north coast of Portugal, about 20 kilometres off the coast of Viana do Castelo. The WindFloat Atlantic Operation & Maintenance team organized the drill, together with teams from Vestas, supplier of Wind-Float Atlantic turbines, and the Principle Power team, as supplier of the WindFloat floaters; all teams were accompanied by their HSE coordinators. Moreover, the exercises were coordinated, supported, and supervised by the Marine Authorities, with Commander Rui Silva Lampreia, and four members of the rescue team from ISN (Instituto de Socorros a Naugrafos).
The purpose of the drill is to guarantee the correct access and approach to floating platforms in case of emergency, as well as to verify the installed capacities and emergency procedures implemented in case an accident occurs on the floating offshore wind farm. Therefore, the journey included different emergency scenarios that focused on rescuing an unconscious individual from different areas of the floating offshore wind farm, requiring the involvement of all the participants and their organization skills and efficiency in their response to the different health, security and safety challenges presented.
Accordingly, the first scenario included the rescue of the individual from a confined space within one of the columns from the floater, with the possibility of using both a vessel and helicopter. The following second scenario, consisted of transporting the unconscious individual on the main deck from the floater to the ISN boat. The third scenario was to rescue the unconscious man who fell over-board, in this case using the project’s CTV, controlled by local supplier Tinita. Lastly, the fourth scenario consisted of the rescue from the Nacelle, from where the subject needed to be rescued with a helicopter. As a result, participants from the different teams showed their coordination and well-organized skills, which would ensure the person’s salvage and proper transport to the coast.
WindFloat Atlantic, the world’s first semi-submersible floating offshore wind farm, has demonstrated the capability and efficiency of floating technology, powering more than 25,000 Portuguese households per year. Thanks to this experience, the floating technology is now ready for commercial scale, and best practices continue to be developed, such as this drill, proof of the commitment to maintaining and ensuring safety at the offshore wind farm.
