Fugro, the Netherlands, has announced it has been awarded a further substantial marine site characterisation project off the Dutch Coast.

It is the largest geotechnical site characterisation programme tendered by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO.nl, part of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy) and will be performed in the Hollandse Kust (west) Wind Farm Zone, according to the company.

Other contracts executed by geo-data specialist Fugro in the various zones of Hollandse Kust (south and north) and Borssele wind energy developments since 2015 include geophysical and geotechnical data acquisition and metocean monitoring.

The geotechnical programme will continue until September and comprises a seabed investigation and borehole drilling. Fugro will also deliver standard and advanced laboratory testing and an integrated geological/geotechnical soil model which will be used by future developers of the wind farm to prepare their bids.

The fieldwork will utilise Fugro vessels including state-of-the-art geotechnical drilling vessel Fugro Scout. Fugro said deployment of its innovative SEACALF MkIV system for seabed cone penetration testing will enhance operational safety as its coiled rod requires no manual handling. The system is also much less weather sensitive than conventional systems, increasing productivity by avoiding downtime, the firm added.

Sven Plasman, Fugro’s project director, said: “For these large offshore projects, the availability of efficient systems and having access to the right resources is crucial; being able to mobilise three dedicated geotechnical vessels for this project has been a major part of the success of this tender. Our SEACALF MkIV system enables us to acquire high quality data in a safe manner, and deliver on time to RVO.nl. It is now the geotechnical system of choice in offshore wind farm developments worldwide, from the United States to Taiwan.”

Ruud de Bruijne, RVO.nl’s project manager, said: “It’s very important that the Netherlands Enterprise Agency prepares the best possible package of site studies for future developers of this offshore wind farm. We are confident that Fugro can enable us to do this, delivering high quality geodata for the offshore wind energy permit tender.”

With a total capacity of 1400MW, the Hollandse Kust (west) Wind Farm Zone lies in the coastal waters of the province of Zuid-Holland, 51 kilometres off the west coast of the Netherlands.