The BARD Offshore 1 project was successfully completed last year and DOC was able to contribute to this by playing an important role in the Infield cable lay operations. Initially, DOC was contracted as responsible partner for the construction supervision only but later the package management was also added to DOC’s responsibility.

BARD Engineering GmbH and DOC had signed a consulting contract in spring 2010. DOC assumed the position of responsible partner for the construction supervision in the sub-contract “Infield cable lay” at the first commercial German offshore wind farm accordingly. During the course of the project BARD required further consulting services concerning the package management which DOC then also assumed.

The construction supervision included the deployment of two cable experts who were continuously present on board the cable lay vessel, ensuring a 24/7 monitoring of the cable lay activities. They did not only act as on-site “eyes and ears” for the contractor but also advised the cable lay crew thus contributing to the success of the project with their valuable expertise. Their daily reports were evaluated at the on-shore office and later used as basis for operative strategic decisions.

All parties involved were highly satisfied with the project implementation and progress. Regarding the cooperation with DOC, Mr. Rüdiger Voss of BARD Engineering says that “Initially the partnership with DOC entailed a certain risk since the Deutsche Offshore Consult GmbH was still a young company at that time. But it became rapidly clear that these concerns were unfounded since DOC proved to be a reliable and competent partner in this complex project environment from the get-go.” He was especially impressed by the “clear view, flexibility and expertise of the persons involved”. DOC is very content with the course of the project and the cooperation among the involved partners as well. Mr. Oliver Spalthoff, managing director of DOC, in this regard emphasized “that to us it is of utmost importance to always be a reliable partner no matter what type of problem occur in the project progress– in offshore projects this is just self-understood”.

The BARD Offshore 1 project included the installation of 80 offshore wind generators of the 5MW class. Additionally, a total of 115 km of infield cable in 80 sections of between 950 and 4200 meters had to be laid and buried at a depth of 1.3 m.

A further reason why the successful completion of this project is a milestone for DOC is that it was a major project which we were able to accompany from start to end. The gained experience will serve as an important basis for further projects – especially considering that only a relatively small number of offshore wind projects in the German North and Baltic Sea have been realized yet.

Involved partners:

BARD Engineering (principal)

NSW (cable manufacturer)

Deep Ocean (cable laying entity)

DOC (consulting, package management construction supervision cable lay operations)