Tugdock and Sarens have successfully secured funding from The Crown Estate to develop a heavy lift Operations & Maintenance (O&M) hub at ABP's port of Port Talbot in Wales.
This is match funding for a joint project by Tugdock and Sarens to develop a heavy lift Operations and Maintenance (O&M) hub at ABP’s port of Port Talbot in Wales.
The money has come from the initial round of The Crown Estate's innovative Supply Chain Accelerator. Established in May 2024, the Accelerator is a £50 million fund created to accelerate and de-risk the early-stage development of UK supply chain projects that service the offshore wind sector.
With key support from major industry players such as ABP and RWE, and other partnerships, the vision for the O&M facility is to provide world-class support for heavy lift equipment used in floating offshore wind projects in the Celtic Sea.
Port Talbot's strategic location near the Celtic Sea makes it an optimal hub for supporting floating offshore wind projects, significantly reducing transit times and operational costs for maintenance, assembly, and logistics.
Sarens provides crane rental services, heavy lifting and engineered transport, while Tugdock specialises in engineering and deployment of Tugdock Submersible Platforms (TSPs) for offshore transport and logistics projects.
Chief revenue officer at Tugdock Lucas Lowe Houghton said: “The Tugdock and Sarens O&M facility is poised to boost the competitiveness of Port Talbot in both the national and global floating offshore wind markets in the years to come.
“Collectively we will ensure that ABP’s Port Talbot is enabled with a heavy lift facility that can attract and retain major clients and maintain the UK’s leading position in the floating offshore wind industry.”
Sarens’ director of global operations, technical solutions and engineering Carl Sarens said: “The Sarens and Tugdock O&M hub will provide a wide range of services including heavy lifting equipment such as cranes and TSPs, assembly areas, storage, training, and consultancy.
“This all-encompassing service model reduces the need for clients to engage multiple contractors, simplifying project management and reducing overall costs.
“The Tugdock and Sarens O&M hub will help create significant employment opportunities at Port Talbot, both directly and indirectly, contributing to regional economic development.”
Pictured is SGC-250, the Sarens giant crane nicknamed 'Big Carl', by the Port of Ghent.
