Offshore Wind Farm Operations

Complete operational reference for building Miradoris: participants, roles, software, hardware, and real-world examples across EU and US markets.

Contents
1. Bird's Eye View: The Operational Map 2. Who's Who: Organizations & Stakeholders 3. Roles and Daily Realities 4. Software and Systems Stack 5. Mechanical Systems & Physical Assets 6. Real-World Wind Farms: EU vs US 7. Vessels, Access, and Logistics 8. Pain Points and Coordination Gaps 9. Implications for Miradoris

1. Bird's Eye View: The Operational Map

An offshore wind farm is not a single site. It is a distributed system spanning three geographic zones, each with different people, equipment, and constraints. Think of it as a supply chain that runs across land and sea, 24/7, for 25+ years.

The Three Zones

ONSHORE HQ
Control Room / Remote Operations Center Corporate offices Onshore substation Grid connection point Spare parts warehouse
PORT / O&M BASE
O&M base Marine coordination center Vessel berths (CTVs, SOVs) Heliport Technician briefing rooms Training facilities Component staging area
TRANSIT ZONE
CTV transit (1-3 hrs) Helicopter transit (30-60 min) SOV stationed at sea (14-day rotations) Export cable corridor Shipping lanes / exclusion zones
OFFSHORE SITE
WTGs Offshore substation(s) Inter-array cables Met mast / LiDAR buoy Scour protection Foundations (monopile, jacket, floating)
Scale context: Hornsea 1 (UK) spans 407 km² with 174 turbines, 120 km from shore. Dogger Bank sits 130-290 km offshore. Vineyard Wind (US) is "only" 24 km from Martha's Vineyard with 62 turbines. Distance from shore fundamentally shapes logistics strategy: nearby farms use daily CTV runs, far-offshore farms require SOVs where crews live at sea for 2-week rotations.

2. Who's Who: Organizations & Stakeholders

Every offshore wind farm involves a web of companies with overlapping responsibilities. Understanding who does what is critical for knowing where Miradoris would sit in their workflows.

Developer / Owner PRIMARY
The entity that holds the lease, secures financing, manages construction, and either operates the farm or contracts it out. Often a consortium.

EU: Orsted, Equinor, RWE, Vattenfall, SSE Renewables, EDP Renewables, Iberdrola
US: Orsted, Avangrid/Iberdrola, Dominion Energy, Equinor, CIP
Turbine OEM HARDWARE
Manufactures and often maintains turbines under long-term service agreements (5-15 years). They own the SCADA system and turbine control software. This creates significant vendor lock-in.

Major players: Siemens Gamesa (now Siemens Energy), Vestas, GE Vernova (Haliade-X), Goldwind, MingYang
O&M Operator OPERATIONS
Runs the wind farm day-to-day. Sometimes the developer themselves (Orsted operates its own farms from Grimsby), sometimes a third-party contractor like Semco Maritime, GWS, or Deutsche Windtechnik.

Responsible for: availability targets, maintenance scheduling, personnel safety, vessel logistics, regulatory reporting.
Transmission Owner (OFTO) UK-SPECIFIC
In the UK, transmission assets (offshore substations, export cables) are sold to a licensed Offshore Transmission Owner after construction. Diamond Transmission Partners bought Hornsea 1's transmission assets.

The developer still operates/maintains these under contract, but ownership is separate. This creates interesting data-sharing dynamics.
Vessel Operators LOGISTICS
Independent companies that own and operate the CTVs, SOVs, and jack-up vessels.

EU: Windcat Workboats (CMB.TECH), ESVAGT, Bibby Marine, CWind, MHO-Co
US: Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO Edison SOV), CREST Wind (ESVAGT/Crowley JV), American Offshore Services

US vessels must comply with the Jones Act (built, crewed, and owned American).
Marine Coordination Providers SOFTWARE
Specialist firms providing 24/7 tracking and coordination of all vessel and personnel movements.

Key companies: Vissim, Shoreline Wind, WINDEA, SeaRoc (Miros Group), IBS Software, Systematic, Royal Dirkzwager, James Fisher Marine Services
Grid Operator / TSO GRID
The entity that manages electricity transmission.

UK: National Grid ESO • DE: TenneT, 50Hertz • DK: Energinet • US: ISO New England, PJM, NYISO

They dictate grid code compliance, curtailment instructions, and reactive power requirements.
Regulators & Certifiers COMPLIANCE
EU: Crown Estate (UK leasing), BSH (Germany), DEA (Denmark), Maritime & Coastguard Agency, DNV, Lloyd's Register
US: BOEM, USCG, BSEE, FAA (aviation lights), Jones Act enforcement

Training standards: GWO certifications are mandatory globally.

3. Roles and Daily Realities

Every person listed below is a potential Miradoris user, or someone whose work feeds data into the platform.

Role Location What They Actually Do Tools They Use Today Key Pain Points
Operations Manager Onshore HQ / O&M Base Owns availability targets (typically 95%+), approves work plans, manages budgets, makes go/no-go decisions for offshore work based on weather windows. SCADA dashboards, CMMS (SAP/Maximo), Excel, PowerBI Data scattered across 5+ systems. No single view of "what's happening right now." Decisions made on phone calls and gut feel.
Offshore Coordinator O&M Base (control room) The central nervous system. Tracks every person, vessel, and helicopter. First point of contact for emergencies. The "air traffic controller" of the wind farm. Marine coordination software (Vissim, Shoreline, SeaRoc), AIS/ADS-B tracking, VHF radio, weather feeds Multiple screens, multiple systems. Manually cross-referencing vessel positions with weather with certifications. High cognitive load.
Marine Coordinator O&M Base / offshore on SOV Plans vessel logistics: which CTV carries which team to which turbines in what order, considering weather, tides, and task priorities. Marine management software, vessel booking systems, weather routing tools, spreadsheets Vessel sharing between contractors is manual. Route optimization barely exists. Weather-driven replanning is reactive.
Wind Turbine Technician Offshore (nacelle, tower, transition piece) Hands-on workforce. Scheduled maintenance (oil changes, filter swaps, bolt torquing), unscheduled repairs, inspections. Climbs 100m+ towers in rough weather. Mobile CMMS, handheld tools, thermal cameras, torque wrenches, PPE Work orders arrive incomplete. Can't see parts availability before leaving port. Limited connectivity offshore. Paper forms still common.
SCADA Operator Onshore control room Monitors real-time turbine performance 24/7. Responds to alarms, starts/stops turbines remotely, implements curtailment instructions from grid operator. OEM SCADA (Siemens, Vestas, GE proprietary), alarm management, event logbooks Alarm fatigue (hundreds/day, most low-priority). SCADA is OEM-locked. Each OEM has different interface.
Condition Monitoring Analyst Onshore (remote/centralized) Interprets vibration data, oil analysis, temperature trends from CMS sensors to detect early component degradation. The "predictive maintenance" brain. CMS platforms (Bachmann, HBK, SKF), vibration analysis software, oil particle counters CMS data lives in its own silo. Connecting insights to CMMS work orders is manual. Delayed action.
HSE Manager O&M Base + offshore visits Safety compliance, permit-to-work systems, risk assessments, emergency response plans, incident investigation, certification tracking (GWO BST, sea survival, first aid). Permit-to-work systems, incident reporting tools, training databases Certification tracking across hundreds of techs + multiple contractors is a nightmare. Hard to get real-time visibility into who is qualified for what.
Logistics Coordinator Onshore Manages spare parts inventory, orders components, coordinates heavy-lift campaigns (blade replacements, gearbox swaps). Arranges warehousing and transport. ERP (SAP), CMMS spare parts module, supplier portals Lead times for major components 6-12 months. No real-time inventory visibility across sites. Demand forecasting is guesswork.
Data / Performance Analyst Onshore (centralized) Calculates KPIs: availability, capacity factor, energy yield vs forecast. Identifies underperforming turbines, quantifies losses. PI System (OSIsoft), Python/R scripts, PowerBI, SCADA exports, weather APIs Data quality issues everywhere. SCADA data has gaps. Manual cleaning consumes enormous time. No standardized data model across OEMs.
Emergency Response Coordinator O&M Base Maintains emergency response plans. Coordinates with coastguard, RNLI/USCG, helicopter rescue. Runs drills. Activated during incidents. Emergency response plans (documents), comms systems, POB tracking In emergency: need instant visibility of who is where, closest vessel, weather, who has medical training. Info is spread across multiple systems.
Key insight for Miradoris: The offshore coordinator role is the closest analogy to what an RTS-style command interface would serve. They already think spatially (where are my assets on the map), temporally (what's the weather window), and logistically (who goes where with what). But their tools are fragmented across 4-6 different screens and systems.

4. Software and Systems Stack

The technology landscape in offshore wind is a patchwork. No single platform covers everything. This is both the problem and the opportunity.

TURBINE LEVEL
PLC / Turbine Controller (OEM proprietary) CMS Sensors (vibration, temp, oil) Pitch/Yaw controllers Power converter
SCADA
Siemens Gamesa SCADA Vestas Online GE Digital Wind Farm COPA-DATA zenon Siemens Energy Omnivise T3000 Emerson Ovation Green Origo Solutions
CMS / APM
Bachmann CMS Bruel & Kjaer (HBK) Vibro SKF @ptitude Moog Insensys AVEVA APM Bazefield (DNV)
CMMS / EAM
IBM Maximo (industry standard) SAP PM/EAM IFS Infor EAM eMaint (Fluke) Fiix UpKeep
MARINE / LOGISTICS
Vissim Windfarm Solutions Shoreline Wind SeaRoc (Miros) WINDEA Offshore IBS Software Systematic AIS vessel tracking ADS-B helicopter tracking
ANALYTICS / BI
OSIsoft PI System (AVEVA) PowerBI / Tableau Bazefield Spinergie Custom Python/R scripts Weather APIs (MeteoGroup, DTN, Vaisala)

How Data Flows (and Where It Breaks)

Turbine Sensors → PLC → OEM SCADA → ⚠ Data extraction gap → PI System / Data Lake → Analytics / BI
CMS Alarm → Analyst Review → ⚠ Manual handoff → CMMS Work Order → Scheduler → Technician
Weather Forecast → ⚠ Manual check → Marine Coordinator → Vessel Dispatch → Technician Transfer → Turbine Access
The integration gap is real. SCADA is OEM-locked. CMMS is IT-locked (SAP/Maximo implementations take 18+ months). Marine coordination is a specialist niche. Weather data comes from third-party APIs. Personnel certifications live in HR systems. Nobody has a unified operational picture.

Key Software Details

SCADA CORE
The "nerve center." Connects turbines, substations, and met stations. Records 10-minute interval data: wind speed, rotor speed, power output, temperatures, error codes, availability.

Critical detail: SCADA is almost always provided by the turbine OEM. Independent SCADA providers (COPA-DATA zenon, Origo Solutions, DEIF) exist but are a minority.

Protocols: OPC-UA, IEC 61850, Modbus. Data typically stored in historian databases (OSIsoft PI).
CMMS / EAM CORE
Work order management, preventive maintenance scheduling, spare parts tracking, cost tracking.

IBM Maximo dominates the utility/energy sector. Heavy, expensive, 18+ month implementations. Mobile interface is famously bad.

SAP PM used when the operator's parent company is already on SAP. Field technicians hate the interface.

Newer entrants like Fiix, UpKeep target the usability gap, but lack scale and compliance features.
Marine Coordination LOGISTICS
Vissim (Norwegian): industry leader. Integrates AIS, ADS-B, weather, and personnel tracking. 7M+ successful personnel transfers.

Shoreline Wind (Danish): strong in simulation and optimization. Used by Orsted. Claims 10% OPEX savings.

IBS Software: "Logistics Control Tower" with AI-driven supply chain optimization.
Weather & Forecasting DATA
Critical for both energy yield forecasting and operational access planning.

Providers: MeteoGroup, DTN, Vaisala, StormGeo, Meteologica

Key parameters: Hs, wind speed at hub height, visibility, tidal state. CTV access limited to Hs < 1.5m. SOVs operate up to Hs 2.5-3.0m.

A missed weather window means a turbine stays offline, losing ~$1,000-2,000/day per turbine.

5. Mechanical Systems and Physical Assets

WTG Components

Modern offshore turbines are machines the size of skyscrapers. The Haliade-X 13 MW has a 220m rotor diameter, 107m blades, and a hub height of ~150m. A single rotation can power a UK home for two days.

Component Function Failure Modes Maintenance Cost / Impact
Blades (3x) Capture wind energy. Composite fiberglass/carbon fiber, 80-115m long each. Leading edge erosion, lightning strikes, delamination, bonding failures Drone + rope access inspection, coating repair, blade exchange with jack-up for major damage Replacement: $200-500K/blade + vessel ($150-300K/day jack-up). Erosion repair: $10-30K.
Pitch System Rotates each blade individually to control power and loads. Hydraulic leaks, bearing wear, control system faults Oil/filter changes, bearing greasing, software updates Common cause of unplanned downtime. Bearing replacement requires crane vessel.
Gearbox Steps up rotation from ~10 RPM to ~1,500 RPM. Not present in DD designs. Bearing fatigue, gear tooth wear, oil degradation. Most expensive component failure. Oil sampling, CMS vibration monitoring, filter changes. Full replacement: heavy-lift vessel. Replacement: $500K-1.5M + vessel costs. 6-12 month lead time. CMS provides months of early warning.
Generator Converts mechanical rotation to electricity. Permanent magnet or doubly-fed induction. Winding insulation failure, bearing wear, cooling system faults Thermal monitoring, vibration analysis, insulation resistance testing Replacement comparable to gearbox in cost and logistics.
Main Bearing Supports the main shaft. Single or double arrangement. Roller/raceway damage, lubrication failure. Failure = total shutdown. Grease sampling, CMS vibration, temperature monitoring Requires nacelle disassembly. Major campaign event.
Yaw System Rotates the entire nacelle to face the wind. Electric motors with ring gear. Yaw bearing wear, motor failure, cable twist Greasing, bolt torque checks, yaw brake pad inspection Misalignment causes 1-3% energy loss even without failure.
Power Converter Converts variable-frequency AC to grid-compatible AC. IGBT module failure, cooling fan failure, capacitor degradation Thermal imaging, filter cleaning, module replacement Modular design allows section replacement without full unit swap.
Transformer Steps up voltage from ~690V to collection system voltage (33-66 kV). Insulation breakdown, oil leaks, overheating Oil sampling, dissolved gas analysis, thermal monitoring In nacelle or tower base. Replacement is a major lift operation.
Foundation Monopile (most common), jacket, gravity base, or floating (emerging). Scour (seabed erosion), corrosion, fatigue cracking at welds ROV inspection, cathodic protection monitoring, scour surveys Failure is catastrophic but extremely rare. Scour protection (rock armour) is standard.
Subsea Cables Inter-array (33-66 kV) and export (220 kV AC or HVDC). Anchor damage, cable burial loss, insulation failure Burial depth surveys (ROV), DTS, cable integrity monitoring Most costly offshore wind risk. Repair takes months with specialist cable vessel.
OSS Collects power, transforms to export voltage. Contains switchgear, transformers, diesel backup. Transformer failure, switchgear fault, cooling failure, fire Periodic manned inspections, remote monitoring, fire suppression Single point of failure for entire farm. Loss = total generation loss for connected turbines.

6. Real-World Wind Farms: EU vs US

EU: Mature Market

Hornsea 1 & 2 (UK) ORSTED
Hornsea 1: 174 x Siemens 7 MW = 1.2 GW. 120 km from Yorkshire. 407 km². Operational 2020. O&M base: Grimsby.

Hornsea 2: 165 x SG 8 MW = 1.4 GW. Operational 2022. Two diesel-electric crew ships with 2-on/2-off rotations.

Hornsea 3: Under construction, 231 x SG 14-236 DD = up to 2.9 GW. Expected 2027. Apollo acquired 50% for $6.1B (Dec 2025).
Dogger Bank A/B/C (UK) SSE/EQUINOR
Specs: 3 phases, each 1.2 GW = 3.6 GW total. 227 x GE Haliade-X 13 MW. 130-290 km from Yorkshire.

O&M Base: Port of Tyne. Control room monitoring 5% of UK electricity. 400+ permanent roles.

Operations: SSE leads development, Equinor operates long-term. World's first unmanned HVDC offshore substations.
German North Sea Cluster VARIOUS
BorWin, DolWin, HelWin, SylWin clusters connected via TenneT's HVDC platforms. Multiple developers (RWE, Orsted, EnBW, Vattenfall).

O&M base: Helgoland island and Esbjerg (DK). Long transit = SOV-based operations standard.

Germany has the most complex multi-developer, multi-grid-platform coordination challenge in the world.

US: Emerging Market

South Fork Wind (NY) ORSTED/EVERSOURCE
First US utility-scale offshore wind farm in federal waters. Operational March 2024.

12 x SG 11 MW = 132 MW. 35 miles east of Montauk.

ECO Edison (first US-built SOV, 80m, 60 pax) services this plus Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind.
Vineyard Wind 1 (MA) CIP/AVANGRID
62 x GE Haliade-X 13 MW = 804 MW. 15 miles south of Martha's Vineyard.

Notable incident: GE blade failure July 2024 sent fiberglass debris onto Nantucket beaches. Manufacturing defect. Operations suspended until Jan 2025. GE Vernova paid $10.5M settlement.
Coastal Virginia OW DOMINION ENERGY
176 x SG 14 MW = 2.6 GW. 27 miles off Virginia Beach. Under construction.

When complete, largest US offshore wind farm. CREST Wind JV building a purpose-built SOV (service 2026).

All US projects must navigate Jones Act constraints, creating bottlenecks vs. mature EU vessel fleet.
EU vs US Key Differences:

Maturity: EU has 30+ years of experience (first farm: Vindeby, Denmark, 1991). US is in year 1-2 of utility-scale ops.

Vessel fleet: EU has a deep, specialized fleet. US building from scratch under Jones Act.

Regulations: EU has established frameworks. US involves BOEM, USCG, BSEE, state agencies, and political headwinds.

O&M ecosystem: EU has mature third-party service market. US is building everything simultaneously.

7. Vessels, Access, and Logistics

Getting people and parts to turbines is the single biggest operational constraint. Weather, distance, and vessel availability determine how much maintenance you can actually perform.

CTV VESSEL
The daily workhorse. Catamaran design, 20-30m long. Carries 12-24 technicians. "Push-on" transfer against turbine boat landing. Operates in Hs up to ~1.5m.

Operators: Windcat (60+ vessels), CWind, Seacat, High Speed Transfers, Northern Offshore Services

Typical day: Depart 06:00, transit 1-3 hrs, transfer technicians, wait on station, recover, return.

For farms >2 hours from port, SOVs become economically necessary.
SOV VESSEL
The floating hotel and workshop. 80-100m. Houses 40-90 technicians with private cabins, gym, cinema, mess. 14 days on / 14 off.

Key feature: Motion-compensated gangway (Uptime, Ampelmann) for walk-to-work transfer in Hs up to 2.5-3.0m.

US first: ECO Edison (Edison Chouest Offshore), 80m, 60 pax. Christened May 2024 for Orsted's NE projects.
Helicopter ACCESS
Fast access for urgent repairs. Lands on nacelle heli-hoist platform or uses winch transfer. Transit: 30-60 min vs. 1-3 hours by CTV.

Providers: CHC Helicopter, Bristow, NHV, HeliService International

Tracking: ADS-B (same as commercial aviation).
Jack-Up / Heavy Lift Vessel VESSEL
For major component exchanges (blades, gearboxes, generators). Jacks up on legs for stable platform. Crane capacity 1,000-3,000+ tonnes.

Key vessels: Voltaire (Jan De Nul), Orion (DEME), Wind Osprey, Aeolus

Day rate: $150,000-300,000+/day. Booked years in advance. Major campaigns batch multiple turbines per mobilization.

8. Pain Points and Coordination Gaps

Each one is a Miradoris feature opportunity.

No Unified Operational Picture GAP
The coordinator sits in front of 4-6 screens: SCADA, marine tracking, weather, CMMS, email. No single interface shows turbine status + vessel positions + weather + work orders + personnel + certifications.

Decisions made by mentally merging information. Slow, error-prone, doesn't scale.
Weather-Driven Replanning is Manual GAP
When weather changes, the maintenance plan needs replanning. Which turbines are still accessible? Which tasks fit the remaining window?

Done by experienced coordinators in their heads, using phone calls and whiteboard-level planning. No dynamic rescheduling engine.
OEM SCADA Lock-In GAP
Siemens turbines = Siemens SCADA. Vestas turbines = Vestas SCADA. Different data formats, alarm structures, interfaces. Fleet operators need an abstraction layer.

IEC 61400-25 exists but adoption is slow.
CMS-to-CMMS Handoff GAP
CMS detects bearing degradation. Analyst writes a report. Someone manually creates a work order. Someone else schedules against weather. 3-4 people, days to weeks.

Automated pipelines exist in theory but rarely fully implemented.
Personnel Certification Tracking GAP
GWO BST + OEM-specific training + rope access + first aid + sea survival + HUET. All with different expiry dates. Multiplied by hundreds of technicians across contractors.

"Who is currently qualified for Task X on Turbine Y" rarely answered automatically.
Multi-Contractor Coordination GAP
A single farm might have: owner's O&M team, OEM service team, blade inspector, ROV survey company, cable monitoring team. All operating simultaneously, sharing vessels.

Each contractor uses their own systems. Information sharing via email and spreadsheets.
Emergency Response: Who Is Where? GAP
During an emergency, the most critical question: where is everyone, and what resources are closest? POB tracking exists on vessels, but real-time tracking of individual technicians across 200+ turbines spanning hundreds of km² is limited. RFID-based access tracking is not universal.

9. Implications for Miradoris

Primary User: The Offshore/Marine Coordinator

This role is the natural home for an RTS-style command interface. They already think in terms of: map view, moving assets, time windows, resource allocation, and prioritization under constraints.

A single-pane-of-glass overlaying turbine status (SCADA) + vessel positions (AIS) + personnel locations + weather forecasts + active work orders + certification status is the core value proposition.

Core Operational Loops

Daily dispatch: Given today's weather, maintenance backlog, vessel availability, and crew certifications, generate an optimized dispatch plan. Allow drag-and-drop adjustment on a map.

Dynamic replanning: When weather changes mid-day, automatically suggest alternatives. "Wind farm A inaccessible at 14:00. Move CTV-2 to cluster B, reassign technicians."

Fleet view: For operators with multiple farms — portfolio-level view showing underperformance, bottleneck tasks, SOV fleet allocation.

Emergency mode: One-click view: all POB, all vessel positions, nearest rescue resources, weather at incident location. Automated notifications.

Integration Architecture

Miradoris doesn't need to replace SCADA or CMMS. It sits on top as an integration and orchestration layer.

Ingest from: SCADA (OPC-UA, MQTT, API), CMMS (SAP/Maximo REST APIs), AIS feeds, ADS-B feeds, weather APIs, CMS alarms, HR/training databases

Push to: CMMS (create/update work orders), vessel booking systems, personnel notifications, reporting dashboards

Key standards: IEC 61400-25, IEC 61850, OPC-UA, NMEA, AIS/ADS-B

Value Quantification

Availability improvement: Every 1% availability increase on a 1 GW farm = ~$3-5M/year in additional revenue.

Vessel cost optimization: CTV ~$5-8K/day, SOV ~$30-50K/day. Better routing can reduce vessel-days by 5-15%.

Safety improvement: Reduced incidents = reduced insurance, regulatory burden, reputational damage.

Headcount efficiency: Shoreline Wind claims 10% OPEX savings. That's $5-15M/year for a large operator.

Competitive Positioning

Vissim = marine coordination specialist (strong, but limited to marine/logistics layer)

Shoreline Wind = simulation and O&M optimization (strong analytics, more planning tool than real-time C2)

IBS Software = logistics control tower (supply chain focus, less real-time)

CMMS vendors (Maximo, SAP) = asset management backbone (not real-time, not spatial, not integrated with marine/weather)

The gap: nobody is doing real-time, integrated, spatial command-and-control that unifies SCADA + marine + weather + CMMS + personnel into a single operational interface with AI-driven dynamic scheduling.

Watch Out For

OEM SCADA data access: Getting real-time data out of OEM systems is politically and technically difficult. Position as "operator's tool" that the operator demands integration for.

Cybersecurity: Offshore wind is critical national infrastructure. IEC 62443 compliance will likely be required. Expect long security review cycles.

Connectivity: Offshore comms are constrained (4G/LTE, microwave, satellite). Mobile interfaces need offline capability.

Conservatism: Safety-critical and conservative industry. Must integrate with existing systems, not replace them. Prove value on a single farm first.

Reference compiled February 2026. Sources: Orsted, Equinor, SSE Renewables, Vineyard Wind, NREL, Carbon Trust OWA, Business Norway, industry job postings and technical documentation.