Tidal Energy Vessel

A tidal energy vessel installs, maintains, and recovers tidal-stream turbines: seabed-mounted or floating devices that convert tidal-current kinetic energy through axial-flow or cross-flow rotors. Because the strongest flows (the MeyGen site in the Pentland Firth runs over 4 m/s spring peaks) make working windows short and slack-water dependent, the work uses dynamic-positioning multipurpose or construction vessels, jack-up units for gravity bases, cable-laying vessels for the export cable, and dive or ROV support. Most activity is at test centers such as EMEC in Orkney, so dedicated tonnage is scarce and often chartered from offshore wind.