Nouvelle-Aquitaine has asked President Macron to restart the Oléron offshore wind projects—and for the maritime supply chain, that reads like a yellow flag turning green.

Before a single jacket or monopile is ordered, the Bay of Biscay will need months of marine prep: geophysical and geotechnical surveys, UXO risk reduction, metocean deployments, environmental monitoring, plus guard zones. That stack translates into demand for nimble survey cats and small DP vessels, DP2 MPSVs with work-class ROVs for UXO/cable route tasks, crew transfer vessels for rotating survey/observer teams, and dedicated guard boats. Expect basing and bunkering to cluster around La Rochelle–La Pallice and nearby ports to minimize steaming.

Two trends to price in now: (1) Low-emission operations—French RFPs increasingly nudge hybrid CTVs and HVO-ready engines; those assets book out earliest. (2) Data transparency—charterers want AIS-backed utilization and carbon reporting, which favors owners with clean logs and calibrated fuel data. Add seasonal reality: Biscay weather and environmental constraints compress workable days, so multi-spread coordination and tight CTV scheduling will matter more than a headline day rate.

If you’re a charterer, soft-market your survey and UXO windows now to secure options; if you’re an owner, pre-position suitable DP2 MPSVs and hybrid-capable CTVs within a 24–36h steam; if you’re a broker, bundle guard and survey packages to de-risk metocean/weather holds.

Takeaway: Oléron’s restart would tighten the regional spot market—teams that lock in survey spreads and low-emission CTVs early will control timelines and costs.

If you’d like to discuss your offshore projects, reach us anytime at sales@seavium.com.