Applying the Observational Method to Anchoring of Floating Offshore Wind Turbines

1. Home
2. Publications
3. Online Library
4. Applying the Observational Method to Anchoring of Floating Offshore Wind Turbines

The principles of the observational method and its use for onshore geotechnical engineering are introduced; it is a continuous process of design with monitoring and review to enable appropriate modification to be taken during or after construction.  The observational method is seldom acknowledged as a principle in offshore design standards but on some occasions is put into practice with significant benefit to a project and on other occasions the adoption of an observational approach can be problematic.  Effective implementation of the observational method requires the various parties within a project to acknowledge that it is being implemented and what their responsibilities are. Some example applications are described including anchor design and installation, scour, and site investigation with a review on good practice and potential pitfalls of an observational approach through the design & construction process and in-service asset management.

Into the future, floating offshore renewable developments may come to rely on the observational method whereby anchor design can be optimised through the installation of a wind farm as experience of the seabed and soil conditions within a site develops. The paper looks at how the observational method may be implemented for anchoring and how it interacts with other requirements such as site investigation, anchor selection and anchor installation.

5th International Symposium on Frontiers in Offshore Geotechnics (ISFOG2025)

13 - Developmental foundation and anchoring concepts: hybrid foundations, ring anchors, helical piles, torpedo, shared anchoring