Offshore Wind Growth Partnership

Leask Marine Logo

Construction and supply chain services for the marine renewables sector.

Business profile

Growing SME established in 1985, incorporated in 2005.

Well established in the wave and tidal sector.

Growing presence in the Offshore Wind sector.

Support recieved
Grant Funding
The funding from OWGP enabled Leask Marine to successfully demonstrate the operation of its submersible drilling rig and anchoring solution, and obtain third party verification validating the loads obtained. The results highlighted the opportunities for low-cost rock anchoring solutions in Offshore Wind, and confirmed the company’s potential in the sector.

Solutions for the offshore wind industry

Significant reductions in the levelised cost of energy (LCOE) at sites with hard seabed conditions.

The submersible drilling rig can be shipped anywhere in the world.

Operable in water depths of up to 90m.

A closer look at Leask Marine

Leask Marine identified a gap in the market for a low-cost submersible drilling rig used to install medium-sized anchors for floating Offshore Wind turbines. Operable from smaller vessels and platforms and suited to harsh marine environments, the technology significantly reduces installation costs compared with conventional drilling techniques. Fitted with its own control cabin and workshop for ease of operations, the submersible drilling rig can be shipped anywhere in the world.

Subsea regions that have previously been ignored due to unsuitable ground conditions may be opened up for development through use of Leask Marineʼs submersible technology.

Impact of the support

Established the low-cost submersible drilling rig and anchoring solutions as a viable offering for the Offshore Wind sector.

Verified the holding capacities of piled anchor solutions.

Advanced discussions with several Offshore Wind clients for drilling operations in the next 18 months.

Before

Prior to engaging with OWGP, Leask Marine had built a submersible drilling rig and designed a rock anchoring solution but had not yet tested them. Both had originally been designed for the floating wave and tidal sectors, but the company was now looking to establish the technology’s feasibility in the Offshore Wind sector.

During

After securing funding through OWGP’s grant funding programme, Leask Marine took part in a project to test and verify the capabilities of its submersible drilling and anchoring technology for Floating Offshore Wind and understand its potential in the sector. The sector is still an emerging market, and the holding capacities of these devices were not well understood prior to the project. Discussions during the programme assisted in developing potential solutions in the short and medium term.

After

The successful outcome of the trials verified the technology as fit for use in Offshore Wind and improved Leask Marine’s understanding of customer expectations in the sector, leading to engagement with potential clients.

“Thanks to the support from OWGP we were able to achieve third party verification of the submersible drilling rig as well as install the first trial anchors. We achieved results faster, and improved our understanding of the challenges faced by the Offshore Wind sector, which has allowed us to engage with potential clients and discuss how we can optimise their subsea drilling operations.”

JOHN MACLEOD
Commercial & HSEQ Director, Leask Marine Limited