TWD
TWD is a creative engineering company specialising in designing customised mission equipment and temporary works. Its UK-team supported Inch Cape across several key scopes including the transport and installation of jacket pin piles, monopile driving operations, and the design of monopile temporary navigation aids and jacket covers.
As well as creating the concept and both the basic and detailed designs for the pre-piling template (also called a pile installation frame) for the installation of 18 jacket foundations, TWD designed temporary navigation structures (TNS) showing the location of each installed monopile and supported Aluwind with the design of jacket covers and a bespoke jacket cover lifting tool design.
TWD also provided engineering, procurement and construction management services, overseeing the interfaces between suppliers, manufacturers and vessel owners during the busiest foundation installation periods.
Outcome
The piling template is capable of installing jacket foundation pin-piles with a 32 metre centre to centre distance whilst maintaining the required precision and strict tolerances necessary for an offshore wind foundation. This is despite offshore challenges such as waves, currents, and varying seabed conditions. The template is equipped with a hydraulic levelling system which can compensate for seabed gradients of up to three degrees. Its design capability is essential to guarantee that the jacket foundations can be installed safely and accurately.
The TNS design was lightweight, easy to lift and self-clamping, and able to withstand wave and current loading during possible storm events offshore. The mounting structure was designed for easy stacking during seafastening, simple mounting and removal and protection to the monopile flange during placement. For the jacket covers TWD designed a state-of-the-art auto-locking and alignment system allowing the cover to clamp to the jacket flange and release automatically when lifted by the crane.
The development of these designs was a multidisciplinary effort, drawing on the combined expertise of TWD’s structural, marine, and geotechnical engineering teams. The integration of various analytical approaches ensured that the product met Inch Cape’s demanding performance requirements while remaining practical for offshore handling and installation.
TWD’s ongoing involvement with Inch Cape is a testament to the collaborative relationship fostered between its engineering experts and the project team and the consultancy’s role as a trusted engineering partner in the delivery of critical UK offshore wind infrastructure.
Ross Gordon, Commercial Manager UK at TWD said:
“We are proud that TWD’s engineering expertise has contributed to one of the UK’s most significant offshore wind developments. Inch Cape has provided a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate how innovative engineering and early involvement can help de-risk complex offshore construction.
“Through our support across critical foundation installation scopes, including the design of the pre-piling template and specialist temporary offshore equipment, we have helped enhance constructability, safety and execution certainty. Projects such as Inch Cape showcase the value of early engineering involvement and strong collaboration in delivering safe, efficient and reliable offshore wind infrastructure while helping to advance the UK supply chain.
“It was a pleasure to work on such an exciting and innovative project alongside experienced and professional personnel on the foundation and turbine teams.”
July 2026
Supplier case studies
To date more than 350 UK suppliers and consultancies had helped to progress and shape the project, making it a truly collaborative effort. Click the button to read case studies about just some of those suppliers and their contribution to the project.
