Marine engineering specialist Dublin Offshore Technology has successfully executed the offshore deployment and installation of its patented Load Reduction Device (LRD) in the Gulf of Maine. This major operational milestone provides critical real-world validation of Dublin Offshore’s technology, proving that dynamic mooring loads can be aggressively mitigated to significantly reduce capital expenditure for floating offshore wind arrays.
The installation was executed on the Volturnus + concrete floating offshore wind platform being commercialized by the DeepCwind Company, the licensee of the Volturnus + technology. Installed directly within the platform’s mooring array, Dublin Offshore’s LRD is designed to resolve one of floating wind’s greatest cost and supply chain bottlenecks: wave-induced dynamic loads that drive up the cost of anchors, chains, and installation.
A central feature of the offshore campaign was the execution of a simple, highly scalable marine deployment methodology. Originally proposed for deployment in the Celtic Sea, the lift-out, tow-out, and hook-up procedures were adapted and deployed in Maine without the need for specialist, high-cost heavy-lift vessels. By using standard offshore support vessels, Dublin Offshore demonstrated that its LRD technology not only optimises mooring dynamics but can also be safely installed using low-cost, globally available marine assets.
The LRD was deployed in June as part of an ongoing offshore demonstration of the DeepCwind Volturnus + floating wind turbine concrete foundation at a U.S. demonstration site. This key milestone marks a major step forward in lowering the Levelised Cost of Energy (LCOE) and de-risking commercial-scale floating offshore wind globally.
“Deploying our Load Reduction Device in the North Atlantic represents the culmination of years of design and development, rigorous hydrodynamic modelling and physical testing, and builds on the DNV certification completed last year. Working alongside the world-class team at DeepCWind allows us to prove in real ocean conditions that LRD technology is ready to scale commercial floating wind globally.” – Dr Tom Doyle, Technical Director, Dublin Offshore.
Floating Offshore Wind is essential to unlocking deepwater wind energy resources around the world where fixed bottom turbines are unfeasible. However, wave-induced loads present a primary commercial barrier, forcing developers to specify heavy and expensive mooring chains, large anchors, and costly installation vessels. Dublin Offshore’s Load Reduction Device (LRD) addresses this core engineering challenge directly. It is an enabling technology that allows a designer to optimise moorings by improving performance while reducing cost, risk and addressing supply chain challenges.
Operating as a shock absorber within the mooring lines, the LRD combines buoyancy and ballast to deliver a passive non-linear response to ocean waves. By dampening extreme tension spikes before they reach the anchors, the device reduces peak mooring loads by up to 50%, enabling significantly lighter mooring hardware, reduced platform fatigue, and substantial capital expenditure savings.