In the Port of Den Helder we focus on a variety of sectors in order to develop ourselves.
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In the Port of Den Helder we focus on a variety of sectors in order to develop ourselves.
Port of Den Helder is Thé Offshore Service and logistic centre of the Southern North Sea in The Netherlands. For more than thirty years operations and maintenance for the offshore sector have been based in Den Helder. On both a national and international scale, the Port of Den Helder occupies an important position as the offshore supply base from which, on a daily basis, 95% of all production platforms and various drilling rigs in the Dutch sector of the North Sea receive deliveries of supplies and replacement crew members. Also activities based on the UK sector of the Southern North Sea are serviced from Port of Den Helder. Not only is it the port with the shortest sailing times to the largest number of platforms on the Continental Shelf, but it is also the base of operations delivering optimum service to the international offshore industry.
Port of Den Helder, together with Den Helder Airport jointly facilitate the largest offshore hub of the Netherlands. Den Helder is centrally located at the heart of the Offshore Wind Locations in the North Sea, not only for the Dutch wind farms but also for UK, Danish and German Far Large Offshore Wind Farms, providing an ideal Operations & Maintenance base.
Over the years, thanks to an almost unbeatable combination of a port with direct and sheltered access to the North Sea and one of the largest heliports of North-West Europe, Den Helder has succeeded in transforming itself into a leading service and knowledge centre for the offshore energy industry.
The supply chain in Den Helder is already a valued partner for operations, maintenance and logistics for the wind parks in the Netherlands. The shortest sailing and flying times, play a major role in reducing supply chain costs, ultimately leading to a reduction in the cost of wind energy.
Den Helder is seen by many parties as a strategic location for the future hydrogen economy. The port of Den Helder could potentially develop into a hydrogen roundabout of national importance. Large parties such as NAM, Gasunie and Engie also seem to want to pursue this as an ambition.
The current projects already require significant efforts from Port of Den Helder during this phase, with the involvement of multiple disciplines and parties. In addition, there is a growing need for a coherent framework regarding where and how hydrogen facilities and in the port are positioned, coupled with careful consideration of options and limitations with regard to commercial linking opportunities, spatial integration, environmental regulations and external safety regulations. And all this in conjunction with municipal ambitions and plans.
Current projects must be aligned with this vision in order to avoid sub-optimization and divestments in the future. The total work package and the necessary expertise in the field of hydrogen leads to a need for external project support for Port of Den Helder.
Port of Den Helder distinguishes between three phases in which the hydrogen developments take place, each with its own horizon over time:
1. Longer term (after 2030) the large-scale production and landing of green hydrogen from the sea.
2. Medium term (2023-2030) the production of blue hydrogen as transition gas in the making towards a completely sustainable and fossil-free economy.
3. Short term (2020-2023) the realization of a hydrogen filling station in the port for shipping and road transport.
Many Oil & Gas facilities are nearing the end of their lifetime or are no longer economically viable. Den Helder has been an established hub for the industry for 40 years and has a vast network of more than 200 supply companies, including specialists in Plug & Abandonment services.
In the near future a new decommissioning and recycling challenge is awaiting us. The current life-span for offshore windmills is between 15 and 20 years. This means that between now and 10 years, the first offshore windmills need to be fully or partially recycled. This is going to be a very large challenge in which our port will take part in.
