July 7 - ABP (Associated British Ports) has joined forces with DONG Energy Ltd to handle the equipment involved in the construction of a large offshore windfarm in the Irish Sea.
The windfarm will be in the region of 73 sq km, with over 100 turbines, making it one of the largest developments in the world.
The DONG contract is a major breakthrough for ABP's port of Barrow which has been trying to get a bigger slice of the action in handling heavy and over-dimensional cargoes involved in the offshore windfarm business. Barrow will see 400 tonne, 60m high and 5m wide deep sea foundation piles and turbines shipped to Barrow and stored on an 18 acre plot of dockland. They will undergo further preparation prior to being shipped to the construction site.
It is anticipated that construction will begin in March 2010.
