The Brave Tern offshore wind installation vessel has departed Dundee after completing work on the Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) project in the outer Firth of Forth.
Operated by Norwegian firm Fred Olsen Windcarrier, the Brave Tern jack-up vessel incorporates a 1,600-tonne Huisman crane capable of installing the world’s largest offshore wind turbines.
Loaded with the final cargo of wind blades for the 450 MW NnG project, the Brave Tern set sail from the Port of Dundee on Friday 4 April.
Jointly owned by EDF Renewables and ESB, construction on NnG began in 2019 with foundations works completed in 2023.
© Supplied by Neart na GaoitheLocated 15km off the coast of Fife, NnG generated its first power into the national grid in late 2024.
Once complete, the wind farm will comprise 54 turbines and generate enough electricity to power around 375,000 average homes.
As construction winds down, NnG project director Matt Haag thanked the Port of Dundee and the people of the city for hosting the project team.
“We plan to be fully operational this summer and look forward to maintaining the links that we have built with our land-based neighbours throughout NnG’s 25-year lifespan,” he said.
Port of Dundee offshore wind
The Port of Dundee has hosted turbine components for NnG since 2022 at a £40m custom-built marshalling quay.
In that time the port has also hosted one of the largest offshore vessels in the world as part of the NnG jacket installation campaign.
The investment in the Dundee renewables hub marked the first entry into the offshore wind market from the port’s owner Forth Ports.
Buoyed by the success of the NnG contract, Forth Ports would go on to invest a further £50m to upgrade facilities at the port of Leith for future offshore wind work.
© Supplied by Forth PortsFollowing on from NnG, Dundee will soon play host to the turbine components for the 1.1 GW Inch Cape offshore wind farm located off the coast of Angus.
Forth Ports chief executive Stuart Wallace said its teams are now preparing to welcome Inch Cape to both ports in Dundee and Leith.
“It’s been our pleasure to host NnG here in Dundee and we look forward to hearing that it’s fully operational and pumping 450MW of clean, green energy into the National Grid in the summer,” Wallace said.
“We’re particularly proud that this project has been delivered with no recordable injuries meaning that everyone involved went home safe.”
Dundee City Council leader, councillor Mark Flynn, said the NnG project showcased “the important role our port is playing as a key hub in driving forward the nation’s renewable energy ambitions”.
