Offshore Technician Training Facility, O&M Base, UK

Project Overview

Orsted’s East Coast Hub in Lincolnshire is the largest operations and maintenance (O&M) base of its kind. Dura Composites designed and supplied a two-level GRP access structure with staircases, cladding, edge protection handrailing and anti-slip grating flooring to support technical training at the base. A durable and more cost-effective alternative to steel, our GRP products ensured the project met the required budget and timescales.

A safer and more durable alternative to steel in coastal environments.

Orsted’s East Coast Hub in Lincolnshire is the largest operations and maintenance (O&M) base of its kind, boasting a total workforce exceeding 360, comprising 165 Ørsted employees and 150 long-term O&M contractors.

The two-tier access structure, featuring staircases, cladding, edge protection handrails, and anti-slip grating flooring, was designed by Dura Composites in collaboration with our client ENGIE Fabricom UK. ENGIE Fabricom UK provides engineering and construction services across various sectors, including renewables, oil and gas, power, chemical, and energy from waste.

Intended for use as an offshore wind technician training rig at Orsted’s Lincolnshire facility, the project involved repurposing four high cube shipping containers into an onshore training facility. This facility simulates offshore conditions for technicians and operational staff, enabling them to work in confined spaces, implement safe systems of work, and execute self-assisted rescues in hazardous environments.

Given our capability to supply both composite timber cladding for the containers and all necessary GRP elements for the project, Orsted opted to collaborate with Dura Composites. While steel was considered, the escalating costs in comparison to GRP and its susceptibility to corrosion in coastal settings rendered our composite materials a more durable and cost-effective alternative.

As specialists in composites and recipients of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Innovation, Dura Composites added value to the project with a robust but cost-effective design featuring a GRP staircase to provide access from ground level to the intermediate and top platforms, GRP d² Dura Grating flooring on top of the upper containers, and GRP Dura handrails for edge protection, inclusive of a custom safety gate at the top level.

The resulting access structure is safe, aesthetically pleasing, and resistant to conductivity and corrosion. With an extended design lifespan and a 25-year warranty, the GRP components form part of Dura Composites’ latest d² range, offering enhanced safety, strength, efficiency, and proven performance.

We were impressed by Dura Composites’ ability to supply all the materials required for this project, including the cladding which has helped to make the training rig blend in attractively with the surroundings. With the cost of metals having risen so highly over the past 2 years, redesigning the structure in Dura’s unique d² GRP product range enabled us to deliver a training module that met our budgetary needs and yet is high quality, non-corrosive and durable.

Engie

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