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Launch of The Crown Estate’s Supply Chain Accelerator 2nd funding round
The Crown Estate’s Supply Chain Accelerator was launched last year to help catalyse UK supply chain capacity and capability for offshore wind. Following the success of the first round in 2024, where nearly £5 million was awarded to 13 organisations, an expanded second round has now been launched with even greater opportunity.
The second funding round has been increased to £15 million, with each successful applicant able to access up to £1.5 million of matched funding for UK projects that support the deployment of offshore wind.
In this round, projects or facilities that support the manufacturing, fabrication and late-stage testing of fixed and floating offshore wind components will be considered, aligned with the priorities identified in the Industrial Growth Plan.
The scope is being broadened to include ports which can support offshore wind (including through wet storage and the fabrication of operations & maintenance vessels), given the role that ports can play as important hubs for the construction, operation and maintenance of offshore wind farms.
The application window closes on Friday 27 June 2025 and successful projects will be announced before the end of the year. To help potential applicants, there is a series of webinars where they can learn more and ask questions:
- 11 April, 10am-11am: Information on eligibility criteria and application process.
- 24 April, 10am-11am: Repeat of webinar on 11 April.
- 1 May, 10am-11am: An opportunity to outline the funding and commitment agreements and to answer questions about the application process.
- 15 May, 10am-11am: Repeat of webinar on 1 May.
- 12 June, 10am-11am: Final webinar providing further opportunity to ask questions.
To find out more and apply, please visit: https://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/our-business/marine/supply-chain-accelerator-fund. If you have a question or to register for a webinar, please email accelerator@thecrownestate.co.uk
Host an Offshore Wind Networking Event!
Make connections within the offshore wind sector and showcase what your business can offer
A networking event is a fantastic opportunity to share information about your company, showcase the capabilities of your site, meet other members to develop new business leads, and discuss best practice and navigating the offshore wind sector. There are opportunities to work with other members of the cluster just waiting to be discovered.
We would love to hold more of these events as they are so beneficial to attendees as well as the host, so we are encouraging members to hold an event at their own site.
The Forth & Tay team will take care of promotion, registrations and communications for the event, and anything else we can do to make hosting an event easier for member companies.
Please get in touch if you’re interested in hosting an event (mail@forthandtayoffshore.co.uk). We’ll start by securing a date, discussing the content and agreeing on communications.
If your site isn’t suitable for hosting an event, we can support you in running an informative webinar, or we can accommodate a lunch and learn style networking event at our own offices to help you make those all important connections with other members.
We look forward to hearing from you. Make sure your business is well-known across the sector!
Briggs Marine takes delivery of new maintenance support vessel from Freire Shipyard
Member news
Fife, United Kingdom: Briggs Marine is delighted to have taken delivery of its new state-of-the-art maintenance support vessel, MV Forth Constructor, built by the renowned shipbuilding company Freire Shipyard in Spain.
The much-anticipated addition to the Briggs’ fleet represents a major achievement in the company’s ongoing commitment to providing market-leading marine services. The 40m DP2 vessel, designed to Briggs’ specification by Cintranaval in conjunction with Freire Shipyard, will enable Briggs to continue to expand and develop its offering in contracts with UK Government and Port and Harbour Authorities as well as providing services to the Offshore Wind & Renewables sector.
The primary role of the Forth Constructor will be the servicing of heavy moorings and navigation marks but the vessel is also well-equipped to carry out a range of offshore support tasks including diving and ROV, seabed investigation and survey, offshore wind support and crucially, with a draught of only 2.5m, inshore cable laying operations.
Specifications with safety and productivity in mind
MV Forth Constructor is equipped with a DP2 position keeping capability with diesel-electric propulsion, offering significantly improved fuel efficiency and technical resilience. The vessel meets or exceeds all current and anticipated emissions standards.
MV Forth Constructor has generous deck outfit configured for maximum crew safety and continued service in arduous conditions where required. The vessel has comfortable accommodation for 6 crew and up to 10 project members. Crew comfort has been prioritised with well-appointed ensuite cabins for crew members, and the builder has paid particular attention to minimising noise and vibration levels throughout the vessel.
ETZ Ltd Challenge Fund
ETZ Ltd has launched the latest round of the Supply Chain Challenge Fund. To date, £5m has been invested by ETZ Ltd to support 37 companies in their ambition to transition into low carbon energy sectors. This is a great opportunity for companies to de-risk and accelerate capital investment required to exploit these markets.
The Challenge Fund supports high-growth potential companies across North East Scotland’s energy sector to enter the low carbon industry. The Challenge Fund will award grant funding between £50k and £250k to accelerate innovation and market entry, support business growth, and create new jobs in the energy transition. Applications may include new industrial facilities, manufacturing and automation of equipment, installation, and existing industry infrastructure upgrades, including digital infrastructure.
Consideration will only be given to awards at the upper end of the range if there is a particularly strong funding case.
The fund will primarily support SMEs servicing the Oil and Gas market in Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray to transition to new or existing opportunities in new and existing low carbon markets.
The Challenge Fund is administered by ETZ Ltd and supported through the Scottish Government’s Just Transition fund.
Applications are now open, until the deadline date 27 March 2025.
Forth and Tay Offshore Newsletter - February 2025
Welcome to the February issue of our e-newsletter, where you can read about industry events and publications as well as activities that the Forth and Tay Offshore (F&TO) cluster is leading or supporting.
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