FishTug – Underwater Autonomous Vehicle for Floating Wind Turbine Dynamic Positioning During Maintenance Operations

The biggest challenge facing the utility-scale adoption of FWT (Floating Wind Turbines) is their cost. While it is inevitable that the mooring, anchor, and dynamic cable will all increase the cost of FWT above that of its fixedbottom counterparts, the elephant in the room is the O&M cost, which accounts for approximately 35% of the total project cost. This concept paper presents FishTug – an unmanned, autonomous vehicle designed to assist in on-site turbine component replacement, as well as towing and port operations, taking on functions typically performed by much more expensive and less available vessels. The proposed technology has the potential not only to reduce costs, but also significantly reduce installation activities environmental impact, which is particularly important for Floating Offshore Wind Projects.