Skip to main content
European Commission logo
sek_shipping_rgb Created with Sketch. sek_offshore_rgb Created with Sketch.

Transport and offshore wind

Last update

Download documents

Conflict Stories

Story 1: Belgium and the Netherlands working together to develop a solution
When Belgium and the Netherlands sought to develop offshore wind farms near the Scheldt estuary, conflict soon arose with the shipping sector. It soon became apparent that a sectoral approach to planning for offshore wind developments was insufficient in this case.

Story 2:  Opening offshore wind farms for transit in the Netherlands
The Dutch government is planning to increase the number of offshore wind farms in the next decade. In order to reduce their impact on marine traffic, options are being considered for opening some of the future wind farms for transit and co-use.

Story 3: Potential conflict between shipping and planned offshore renewable energy installations in Estonia
AIS-based visualization reveals that planned offshore wind developments off Hiiumaa Island are crossed by intensive shipping traffic. This spatial overlap is creating a critical transnational and cross-sectoral planning issue that needs to be resolved before wind farms are built there.

Story 4: Resolving potential conflict between shipping and planned offshore wind farms during consultations – Dunkirk (France)
One of the busiest and shipping intensive areas in the world is the English Channel, which makes the area a major concern for choke points especially for OWF development.

Conflicting elements

Maritime transport and offshore wind can come into conflict when new offshore wind farms are to be built or existing ones expanded – e.g. into areas where shipping activity is intense. Most of the conflicts are triggered by concerns about possible accidents and diversion. 

  • Risk of accidents. The risk of accidents is increased by increased traffic density and reduced sea space, which might lead to the creation of choke points. Certain layouts of offshore wind farms are also riskier in terms of accidents than others, which can become an issue in case there are problems with a ship's on-board navigation equipment. O&M (operations and maintenance) vessels might also pose a risk – and be at risk themselves - while crossing major shipping routes en route to an offshore wind farm. Maritime accidents can lead to large financial losses for all parties involved. In the worst-case scenario, such accidents can lead to human casualties or serious environmental damage.
  • Diversion. Offshore wind farms may lead to additional costs for the maritime industry — if for example, vessels have to be diverted to take a longer route. Diversion can lead to following problems for the shipping sector: (1) Increased time and fuel spent, more greenhouse gas emissions, higher wages for the crew; (2) Financial penalties from the charter; (3) Higher insurance costs due to riskier routes; (4) Compliance with national and international law. Some countries have areas where certain restrictions apply, such as PSSAs in the Baltic; (5) In case of short sea shipping, longer transit times which may make short sea services unable to compete with land-based transport services.

Conflicts between offshore wind farming and shipping occur mainly in the North Sea, Irish Sea and Baltic Sea where a large number of OWFs already exist and are planned. In small sea spaces such as Belgium and potentially the English Channel, limited spatial alternatives is a major issue. Countries apply different management regimes: In Belgium and Germany, wind farms are considered maritime exclusion zones, a policy designed to prevent accidents which require SAR (Search and Rescue) actions or lead to damage to turbines. In the UK and Denmark, wind farms are open for transit and both commercial and recreational use.

Drivers of conflict

The EU, as well as the EU member states have set themselves ambitious renewable energy targets. Confidence in offshore wind farming has grown due to technological maturity and falling costs, and expectations are that capacity will continue to increase globally and in Europe.

Figure: Projections for offshore wind development globally out to 2030. Source: GWEC (2018)

Countries apply different regulatory regimes in regards to transit of vessels through the wind farms. Most of the Member States have stringent processes in place requiring OWF developers to demonstrate that they have thoroughly assessed the maritime risks and implemented adequate risk management measures. In Belgium and Germany, wind farms are considered maritime exclusion zones, a policy which is designed to prevent accidents which require SAR (Search and Rescue) actions or lead to damage to turbines. In the UK and Denmark, wind farms are open for transit and both commercial and recreational use. No special requirements regarding vessel equipment or limit on the vessel size are imposed. 

Traditionally, maritime risk assessment and management is usually conducted in the licensing and approval stages of OWF project, rather than during the Maritime Spatial Planning process. This has led to problems where marine-areas-as-planned are often not the same as marine-areas-as-approved. Consequently, there have even been cases where coastal states have had to alter shipping routes or retroactively modify OWF layouts, leading to complaints from stakeholders and ineffective use of sea space.