Collaboration and competition – how can Vestland win?

How can the bases in Vestland compete for customers and contracts, while collaboration makes the region stronger?

That was the main topic when the base group in SAMvind – a project on spatial planning and market opportunities for offshore wind in Vestland – met at Wergeland Base in Gulen on 18 August.

The theme of the meeting was rules of engagement and collaboration, with the aim of discussing simple principles for how the bases can work together when it adds value — without reducing the natural competition between them.

Different strengths – a stronger region

The bases in Vestland have different capacities, specializations and organizational models.

Large offshore wind and offshore projects can require a combination of land area, quay, heavy lift, logistics, personnel, supplier networks and project organization that cannot, or should not, necessarily be delivered from a single location.

The discussion therefore started from three questions: Where do we compete? Where should we collaborate? And which challenges should be solved regionally?

The goal is not to eliminate competition between the bases, but to find areas where collaboration can provide a better overall delivery to the customer and strengthen Vestland's competitiveness.

Image: Culzean1.jpg – The pilot for Culzean Ocean Wind during assembly at Wergeland Base.

Floating offshore wind in practice

The meeting was combined with a tour of Wergeland Base. Here, participants got to see, among other things, the pilot for Culzean Ocean Wind, which was nearly fully assembled before its planned tow-out to the Culzean field in the North Sea.

The visit gave a concrete picture of the scale and requirements that come with floating offshore wind, and of the role existing offshore bases, industrial areas, infrastructure and expertise can play as new energy projects are realized.

Image: Storkran – Heavy lift and industrial capacity at Wergeland Base.

From best base to best delivery

A key question in SAMvind is not necessarily who has the best base, but how Vestland can put together the best delivery.

The group discussed, among other things, complementary capacities, capacity peaks, specialized equipment, expertise and logistics — while customers, contracts, pricing and commercial strategy will continue to be handled by each individual player.

The work on simple principles for collaboration continues in SAMvind.

The ambition is for the region to be better prepared when new industrial opportunities arise — and able to combine capacities where it creates value for the customer.

If you would like to learn how to engange in this- or similar projects, please contact us.