Welding seafastenings during vessel mobilisation. (Image: Morek Engineering)

Marine-i helps Morek pioneer new approach to seafastening

Marine-i research expertise has enabled Morek Engineering to create innovative software to streamline the development of seafastening designs for the offshore renewables market.

Part funded by the European Regional Development Fund, Marine-i aims to help the marine tech sector in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly grow through harnessing the full potential of research and innovation.

Morek Engineering is a specialist offshore operations and technical service provider, with significant expertise in seafastening design for offshore renewable energy projects.

Managing Director, Bob Colclough, said: “Seafastening involves detailed engineering design to make sure that components are safely secured to the deck of a ship for offshore operations. In this market, loads are becoming larger, heavier and more difficult to handle. There is also much more variety in size and shape – from turbine blades, to monopiles and towers – each of which require a tailored approach.

“Current seafastening designs go through a multi-stage process with many individual ‘manual’ calculations. We identified an opportunity to create an innovative software tool that will allow our engineers to optimise seafastening designs quickly and accurately. One of the key new features we have in the new tool is the ability to accurately predict project costs, including estimates of labour, materials and mobilisation durations, all of which are often overlooked during design.  This means project costs will be minimised whilst ensuring robust systems are designed that meet stringent client safety demands.”

Morek Engineering was supported by Dr Tessa Gordelier, Business Research Fellow at Marine-i partner, University of Exeter. She explains: “The project went through four stages of development, using extensive data and information inputs from Morek Engineering.  This led to the creation of programming algorithms which were then tested against the existing ‘manual’ approach so that we could validate the new methodology. This new software tool can provide an important step forward for the offshore industry.”

Professor Lars Johanning, Project Director for Marine-i says: “The rapid development of floating offshore wind is creating new opportunities that require clever new solutions from the supply chain. Morek Engineering is a great example of the innovation that is putting Cornwall and the South West at the forefront of this global industry.”

Bob Colclough adds: “We are really grateful to the Marine-i project and the University of Exeter for their support in helping make our vision a reality. It will be exciting to see our new approach deliver significant improvements for our customers, as the offshore renewables market continues to grow.”

Date: 9 February 2021