Rigmar Group has delivered a two-year contract to carry out inspection and maintenance for the Aberdeen Offshore Wind Farm.

The project, delivered in 2019 and 2020, is the largest inspection and maintenance contract awarded at the Aberdeen Offshore Wind Farm by Vattenfall, which owns the 11-turbine facility off the coast of the city.

Valued at six figures per annum, the project was delivered by teams comprising a total of sixteen Rigmar personnel and included underwater surveys and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) inspections, data processing and chart production, rope access inspection and maintenance.

The contract covered the offshore balance of plant works including the transition pieces, foundations and inter-array and export cables up to and including the landfall at Blackdog. Rigmar supplied all project resources including the personnel, survey vessel, equipment and ROV for the offshore survey.

“We are one of a small number of companies with the expertise and management structure to deliver full inspection and maintenance services above and below the water and our multi-disciplined and highly qualified personnel worked seamlessly with the Vattenfall team to successfully complete the project safely, on time and in budget. This was our first offshore wind project as a main contractor, and we have proven that our skills and expertise from decades operating in the oil and gas industry is fully transferable to the renewables industry.”

Rigmar chief executive, Keith Nelson.

The 11 turbines off the coast of Aberdeen, have a total generating capacity of 96.8 MW, which can supply the equivalent of 70% of Aberdeen’s household electricity demand. The project will annually prevent more than 130,000 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.

“We initially awarded the contract to Rigmar due to their transferable experience from the oil & gas industry and the fact that they were a local company with above and below water capabilities and an excellent safety record. We had the same team over the two years which maintained continuity on the project and resulted in a successful delivery with no zero Lost Time Incidents. This year we had the added challenge of the ongoing global pandemic, but Rigmar still managed to deliver on time and within budget whilst operating with challenging mitigation measures, including social distancing. Their communications were transparent throughout and they are a very proactive team of technicians who worked well with our team and our other suppliers.”

Operations and maintenance manager for Vattenfall, Alexandra Richards.