US Delegation Visits Offshore Base in Cuxhaven

March 19, 2012

An international delegation has again visited the offshore base in Cuxhaven to find out more about operations there. This time it was an US delegation that came to familiarise themselves with the latest trends and options in realising offshore projects on March 15. The US experts came at the invitation of the Agency for Business Promotion Cuxhaven, to the town at the mouth of the River Elbe.

The guests were leading representatives of an offshore development project in New Bedford, a port city in Massachusetts in the northeast of the US. The delegation was able to form a complete picture of the infrastructural requirements when serving the offshore wind industry. After an expert introduction by Dr. Hans-Joachim Stietzel, Head of the Agency for Business Promotion Cuxhaven, representatives of companies Ambau GmbH, STRABAG Offshore Wind GmbH, Otto Wulf GmbH and the Sea Survival Centre Cuxhaven informed the visitors in special lectures about their competencies for offshore wind energy.

Finally, there was a tour of local companies including port operator Cuxport GmbH and foundation manufacturer CSC Steel Construction GmbH, where the physical characteristics and requirements on infrastructure to serve the offshore industry were explained. Particular emphasis was placed on the development of this North German region, which has once again been given a new and dynamic development potential as a result of the energy transformation in Germany as whole.

Dr. Hans-Joachim Stietzel, Deputy Chairman of the HWG (Port Association of Cuxhaven), explained: ‘The visit by the US delegation once again underlines Cuxhaven’s growing international significance in energy questions. Its infrastructural development and innovative policy of attracting businesses to settle there have made it a shining example of successful offshore projects.’

The first offshore wind park in the US, with 130 turbines planned, is due to be constructed off Cape Cod on the Massachusetts coast. The port of New Bedford, a fishing town with a long tradition, aims to establish itself as an offshore base on America’s East Coast and will invest accordingly in its harbour infrastructure in the coming years.

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Offshore WIND staff, March 19, 2012; Image: mar-berlin