The Wind Group, an offshore and subsea cable service provider is expanding into the Baltic Sea. The Dutch firm plans to grow its business in the region with a new hub.
The Wind Group has signed a long-term agreement with Smålandshamnar to establish a specialised facility for cable storage and offshore services at the Swedish port of Oskarshamn.
Wind intends to use this new hub to expand its presence in the Baltic Sea region. Plans also include providing services such as cable transport, storage, the supply of cable equipment and other offshore services from Oskarshamn.
To date, the company has been operating from sites in Velsen and Eemshaven in the Netherlands, Providence in the USA and Taichung in Taiwan. Now it is moving into the Baltic Sea. With a 435-m-long quay wall and a water depth of at least 10.3 m, the port of Oskarshamn is “ideally suited” to accommodate all relevant types of vessel and enable efficient ship-to-ship cable handling. Its location offers excellent access to the entire Baltic Sea region, the company says.
“The establishment of our new site in Oskarshamn is an important step in expanding Wind’s activities in the Baltic Sea region,” said CEO Tom Nooij. “By pooling expertise across the entire Wind Group, we can offer our customers a comprehensive range of services – from the hire of cable carousels, through logistics and marshalling, to the provision of equipment, maintenance and vessel mobilisation by our colleagues at Draftec.”
For Niclas Strömqvist, CEO of Smålandshamnar, the agreement is “far more than just the arrival of a new customer”. It is a strategic investment designed to strengthen Oskarshamn’s role in the rapidly growing offshore energy sector in the Baltic Sea region. “By combining The Wind Group’s expertise with the infrastructure and capacity of the Port of Oskarshamn, we are creating a platform for future growth, new business opportunities and long-term jobs in our community and region.” His aim, he said, is to develop Oskarshamn into one of Northern Europe’s leading ports for offshore energy, project cargo and critical infrastructure. “We regard this partnership as an important milestone on this journey,” Strömqvist continued.
