South West Wales based specialist marine engineering firm Mainstay Marine Solutions Ltd has completed the repairs and upgrades to a newly acquired test buoy for MEECE (Marine Energy Engineering Centre of Excellence) part of the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, based in Pembroke Dock.
The buoy will provide a unique test and demonstration facility within META (Marine Energy Test Area), allowing innovative new products and services to be developed at minimal cost and risk to companies.
Stewart Graves, Managing Director commented “Our marine engineering department has seen considerable growth in demand in recent years. It is becoming ever apparent that our in-depth understanding of complex marine environments and flexibility to cater for ever changing needs, set us apart from other engineering companies. We see real value in aiding organisations like ORE Catapult to support innovation to accelerate the commercialisation of the wave, tidal and offshore wind sectors’’.
Fitted with solar panels, wind turbine and weather and wave data gathering and monitoring apparatus, the buoy was launched from Mainstay’s RoRo Slipway with the help of its 160t hoist and towed around to the deployment site by Williams Shipping marine contractors.
Charlotte Wood, Business Development and Sales Manager commented “Our optimum location for launching large marine projects and our strong working relationships with other marine stakeholders have collectively helped us in winning, and successfully delivering these types of specialist marine projects’’ .
Traditionally, steel and aluminium workboat builders, Mainstay Marine has also successfully diversified into the marine renewable energy marketplace, increasingly being known as the ‘go-to’ company for marine energy fabrication and assembly services in Wales. The company has completed four marine energy projects to date with the fifth device due to be launched imminently.
Paul Ellsmore, Programme Manager of MEECE at ORE Catapult said: “The deployment of this buoy is a key milestone for our activities in Wales and allows MEECE to enhance our offering to innovative Welsh companies. Our team is working to put Wales and Welsh companies at the heart of the UK’s growing marine and offshore renewable energy sectors, ensuring they are able to grasp the huge economic opportunities on offer as we accelerate the exploitation of Wales’ extensive offshore wind, wave and tidal resources.”
Photos credit: Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult
For more information email Charlotte.Wood@mainstaymarine.co.uk or call 01646 681117.
May 2022
