Sponsored post: Undocking better boat landing designs for offshore wind turbines

The sea churns, and a vessel is heaved back and forth as maintenance personnel approach an offshore wind turbine. The craft is pressed against the structure's specially designed boat landing, and the crew members begin to disembark. As they move from boat to turbine, a wave rolls the vessel away and then back toward crew members still on the lower section of the landing. Fortunately, disaster is averted as the steel fenders absorb the impact and the transfer proceeds safely.

Due to the relentless force of the sea, the vulnerability of personnel being transferred, and frequent interactions with weighty vessels, it is a given that boat landings have to be strong. Building up strength could involve adding steel, but without the right information to guide decisions, design engineers may end up adding material to pieces that do not actually need it, unnecessarily running up the final bill. Therefore, designing boat landings with an eye toward not only safety and strength but also an efficient use of materials is crucial to making offshore wind turbines operational.