Alternative text Infographic Maritime Safety
Maritime safety and wind farms at sea
What is the Roadmap 2030+
The Netherlands is striving to speed up wind energy production in the North Sea. It hopes to generate around 21 gigawatts (GW) of power from the wind farms instead of the previously agreed 11 GW.
Roadmap 2030+
- Time frame
- This is where we started
- This is our destination
Package of measures
- List of themes
MOSWOZ themes
- Monitoring
- Nautical safety and collision impact
- Passage
- Vessel Traffic Monitoring (VTMon)
- Emergency Response Towing Vessels (ERTVs)
- Hydro-Meteo
- Anchorages
- Crisis management
- International dimension
Planning and completion
- List of themes
Roadmap 2030+
To reach the climate goals, the Netherlands and the EU are building additional wind farms in the North Sea. This has consequences for maritime safety. What is the time frame for wind energy in the Dutch North Sea?
2005 The first Dutch offshore wind farm goes into production
2013 Energy agreement to generate an extra 4.5 GW at sea every year
2015 Allocation of wind energy areas in policy plan. Assessment framework for safe distances between shipping lanes and wind farms. Adjustment of shipping lanes around wind farms
2016 Building of Borssele wind farms. Maritime Information Provision Service Point (MISP) in operation
2018/2019 Research into the cumulative effects of wind farms on maritime safety
2020 Ministries of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy and Infrastructure and Water Management resolution on a maritime safety package regarding wind energy at sea. Package of measures starts.
2021 Start of Offshore Wind Energy Shipping Safety Monitoring and Research Programme (MOSWOZ)
2025 First comprehensive evaluation and policy recommendations for the purpose of modifying the measures if necessary
Overview wind farm growth
2031 Expanding the scope with Nederwiek and Doordewind (from 11 to 21 GW by 2031)
Our starting point
Situation 2023
Our destination
Situation 2031
Package of measures up to 2031
Our preventive and repressive measures keep the North Sea safe for shipping. We monitor their development and effectiveness so that we can advise on adjustments should the situation develop differently than expected. We do this through the MOSWOZ programme.
Preventive measures:
Additional capacity for flying and sailing units
Extra coast guard operators for surveillance and Vessel Traffic monitoring
Extra sensors in wind farms
Monitoring and research programme
Marking of passages for small vessels in wind farms
Repressive measures:
Extra Search and Rescue capacity
Extra Emergency Response Towing Vessels
Extra deployment of Maritime Incident Response Groups /MIRG.NL
MOSWOZ themes
The monitoring and research programme is organised around themes. Each theme can be subdivided into parts.
- Monitoring
- Nautical safety and collision impact
- Passage way for small vessels
- Vessel Traffic Monitoring
- Emergency Response Towing Vessels (ERTVs)
- Hydro-Meteo
- Anchorages
- Crisis management
- International dimension
Theme 1: Monitoring
Main questions
We closely monitor safety at sea.
- Do anticipated nautical risks really happen and, if so, in the way that was predicted?
- What unexpected occurrences are there?
- How effective and efficient are the measures used for maritime safety?
Sub-questions
What data and information are relevant and how do we gather them?
- What are the most important trends and developments over the next 5 to 10 years, and what implications do they have for maritime safety?
- How well do the sensors work and are there any relevant innovations?
Theme 2: Safety and collisions
Main question
We analyse the events leading to and the effects of collisions in and close to wind farms at sea.
- What are the risks and collisions; how can we prevent collisions; and how can we limit damage?
Sub-questions
- How do crews deal with the increasing complexity?
- What are the potential consequences for humans, the environment, and the economy?
- What additional requirements do other countries set for wind turbines?
- How will future developments (for example new fuels and hydrogen production) affect maritime safety in collisions?
Theme 3: Passage
Main question
We map the risks of passage through rather than around wind farms.
- Is optimising passage beneficial or not for maritime safety?
- What is the interaction between vessels entering, exiting or crossing each other that sail around wind farms and between vessels that traverse wind farms?
- What is the impact of the different shared uses of wind farms on maritime safety?
Sub-questions
- What aspects play a role in the risks?
- Are through passage routes vulnerable to new risks?
- Who, how often and when are the through passages used?
- How can we improve models for these kinds of questions?
Theme 4: VTMon traffic monitoring
Main question
The Coast Guard issues information on the situation in and around wind farms and warns for potential dangers. The emergency response is coordinated in case of incidents.
- How can traffic monitoring best help improve the safety of shipping in and close to wind farms?
Sub-questions
- What traffic control services do we want to and can we offer?
- What is desirable and necessary?
- Do any particular areas have higher risks (hotspots)?
- How can we foster greater national and international coordination with harbours, North Sea countries, and international fora?
Theme 5: Emergency Response Towing Vessels
Main question
The Coast Guard tries to prevent accidents and helps vessels in emergencies with Emergency Response Towing Vessels (ERTVs).
- How can ERTVs be used efficiently and effectively?
Sub-questions
- How can we bring about the optimal use of Emergency Response Towing Vessels? What is a good way of working and what is needed for this?
- What factors are relevant for the successful use of ERTVs?
- What are the possibilities and limitations, legal and otherwise, for using ERTVs?
Theme 6: Hydro-meteo
Main question
- What impacts do wind farms have on the local weather and water conditions of the North Sea that are relevant for maritime safety?
Sub-questions
- What conditions are dangerous for shipping? These could include wave action, currents, wind speeds and direction, turbulence and visibility.
- Can additional current Hydro-Meteo information help ensure safety?
- What effects affect maritime safety and what mitigation measures are feasible?
Theme 7: Anchorages
Main question
- How can anchorages and no anchor zones help safety in and around wind farms?
Sub-questions
- What are the risks in each anchorage and no anchor zone in and around wind farms?
- Does optimising the use and location of anchorages and no anchor zones help enhance maritime safety in and around wind farms?
- What measures would make anchorages safer?
Theme 8: Crisis management
Main question
- Is the crisis management sufficiently prepared to handle maritime and other incidents/emergencies in and around wind farms?
Sub-questions
- How are wind farms at sea included in the planning?
- How are wind farms at sea included in the OTO (Education, Training, Practice)?
- What are the implications of a wind farm at sea for SAR (Search and Rescue), oil spill cleaning, firefighting and deploying ERTVs in and around wind farms?
- What can the crisis management team learn from potential and actual incidents and exercises?
- How can innovations help in maritime safety and crisis management?
Theme 9: International dimension
Main question
- How can we encourage international knowledge development and exchange for the benefit of maritime safety in and around wind farms?
Sub-questions
- What are other countries doing to ensure maritime safety in and around wind farms and what can we learn from them?
- What can we learn from other countries about the construction requirements and standards for wind turbines?
- How can we stimulate innovations nationally and internationally?
Planning and completion
2020
(Spring) Ministries of Economic Affairs & Climate Policy and Infrastructure & Water Management agreed to implement a package of maritime safety measures
The Netherlands Coastguard: Deploy desk watch officer at the Coast Guard Centre
The Netherlands Coastguard: Recruiment and training of 24/7 watch officers & wind energy at sea policy advisor at Coast Guard
Rijkswaterstaat: Borssele wind farm radar sensors linked to Coast Guard Centre
Rijkswaterstaat: Start MOSWOZ monitoring and research programme
The Netherlands Coastguard: Start surveillance of wind farms by coast guard aeroplane
The Netherlands Coastguard1st extra ERTV is ready at Borssele wind farm
2021
Rijkswaterstaat: Recruitment of extra Rijkswaterstaat program staff
Rijkswaterstaat: Start of extra deployment of MIRG.NL team for training and equipment
2022
The Netherlands Coastguard: 2nd extra ERTV ready at Hollandse Kust wind farm
Rijkswaterstaat: Hollandse Kust (zuid) wind farm radar sensors linked to Coast Guard Control Centre
2023
The Netherlands Coastguard: Deploy traffic monitoring desk at the Coast Guard Centre
Rijkswaterstaat: Hollandse Kust (noord) wind farm radar sensors linked to Coast Guard Centre
Coast Guard: Recruitment and training of extra aerial observers for Coast Guard
2024
Coast Guard: Recruitment and training of 24/7 Coast Guard operators
2025
The Netherlands Coastguard: Start of operational Vessel Traffic Monitoring at Coast Guard
The Netherlands Coastguard: Extra vessel capacity for enforcement in wind farms
Rijkswaterstaat: Hollandse Kust (west) wind farm radar sensors linked to The Netherlands Coastguard Centre
First MOSWOZ evaluation on effectiveness of measures
2031
Coast Guard: Extra vessel capacity for emergency response and enforcement in wind farms