Under the supervision of the Central Command for Maritime Emergencies, CCME, the crews of two specialized vessels held an oil spill exercise for the first time at an offshore wind farm north off Helgoland.
The oil recovery ship Thor and multi-purpose vessel Neuwerk were used in the exercise that took place at the Nordsee Ost wind farm, on 24th April 2014.
CCME operations manager Michael Akkermann explained: “The aim was to gain experience on the maneuverability of the ships and the use of on-board oil-fighting equipment within a wind farm.”
He also pointed out that the crews have done an excellent job of using the onboard oil spill response equipment.
RWE project director for Nordsee Ost Marcel Sunier added: “The safety of our employees and the protection of the environment is a top priority for us. Therefore, we are already working during the construction of our Nordsee Ost wind farm closely with the staff of CCME.”
Nordsee Ost wind farm is located around 35 kilometers to the north-east of the island of Helgoland in the German North Sea region. It covers an area of 24 square kilometers and will comprise 48 turbines totaling its capacity to 295 megawatts.