Tidal DP Barge

A flat-top barge with a custom computer brain is being built to install tidal turbines in the roughest, fastest-flowing parts of the sea. Today, installing a tidal turbine array requires hiring a specialised offshore dynamic-positioning (DP) vessel—a ship that uses thrusters to hold position without anchors. These vessels are expensive, often costing hundreds of thousands of pounds per day, and are in short supply. This makes tidal energy projects financially unviable. The project aims to replace that costly ship with a much cheaper flat-top barge, fitted with a novel propulsion system and a bespoke DP controller that can keep it steady in strong currents and high waves. If the barge works, it could slash the cost of installing tidal turbines by allowing developers to charter a vessel at a small fraction of current DP vessel rates. That would make tidal stream energy—predictable, reliable renewable power—economically competitive for the first time. The partners include a marine contractor, a DP software developer, and a shipbuilder, so the design is grounded in real-world construction and operation. The result would be a quieter but critical shift in how offshore renewable energy gets built.