Offshore Power & Charging

MJR Power & Automation's Offshore Power & Charging system lets vessels working on offshore wind farms connect to the wind farm's infrastructure and recharge at sea, reducing the need to return to port or run onboard generators. It can be installed on an offshore wind turbine, offshore substation, dedicated monopile or other fixed or floating offshore structure, and serves crew transfer vessels (CTVs), service operation vessels (SOVs), hybrid vessels and other offshore support vessels.

System functions

• Offshore power conversion and in-air vessel connection and charging
• Automated cable and connector deployment with controlled reeler operation
• Automated connector docking/clamping and mooring control; single-point mooring and vessel/reeler following modes
• Passive and active cable tension control and catenary management (patent pending, US-2025-0236192)
• Hands-free connection/disconnection, automatic coupling and uncoupling
• Charge authorisation, control and charge management
• Vessel-side control from the bridge and wind farm control-room visibility
• Real-time monitoring over marine-grade wireless communication
• Manual and automatic emergency disconnection based on cable tension/load measurement, plus overload protection
• Recovery and reconnection without connector damage, with no cleaning, drying or overhaul of the connector needed afterwards

Development and trials

• Prototype part-funded in 2021 by the UK Department for Transport Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC)
• Harbour trials in February 2023 at the Port of Blyth with the CTV TIA Elizabeth (Tidal Transit), with Blackfish Engineering, validating connection, mooring and battery charging
• Offshore trials with Parkwind at the Nobelwind offshore wind farm, transferring power from an operating wind farm to a CTV without disrupting generation, with the vessel free-floating