A small move, big signal: Ship as a Service has added a 23 m vessel and is staging it in the English Channel for environmental studies on the North‑West Brittany offshore wind farm.

Why it matters: survey tonnage is becoming the first constraint in French wind build‑out. Prepositioning cuts mobilization time and cost, shrinks weather risk, and lowers CO₂ by avoiding long transits. It also hints at framework-style call‑offs replacing one‑off spot hires—faster contracting, tighter SLAs, and vessels held on station for rolling tasks (baseline ecology, geophysics, UXO, metocean).

Operationally, charterers are favoring shallow‑draft 20–30 m platforms with multi-sensor deck maps (A‑frame, moonpool, survey winch) and quiet, fuel‑lean profiles. Even nearshore, we’re seeing more RFQs specify DP1 or proven station‑keeping for sub‑2 kn operations around towed arrays and light ROV support. HVO readiness and hybrid auxiliaries are no longer “nice to have” when permits tie emissions to campaign approvals.

For 2025, expect a squeeze from March to September as pre‑construction routes overlap with cable corridor surveys and UXO clearance. Day rates for compliant units with seasoned survey crews are trending 5–10% higher than 2024, with premiums for vessels that can switch between geophysics and light geotech without shore reconfiguration. Owners who reposition early—and keep calibrations, QHSE, and environmental declarations current—will win the fastest turnarounds.

Data transparency is quietly resetting the game: live location, task history, and fuel profiles reduce standby and make “commit‑and‑release” bookings viable around short weather windows.

Takeaway: survey capacity will bottleneck before steel hits the water—lock your spring windows now.

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