The offshore wind industry is expanding rapidly, and asset owners need reliable, efficient, and data-driven inspection solutions to maintain performance and maximize ROI. SkySpecs is meeting that demand head-on, setting a new pace for offshore inspections in 2025. In January alone, our expert team inspected 108 offshore wind turbine generators (WTGs) in Europe—setting the stage for our busiest year yet.
Delivering Precision Inspections Offshore
Kicking off the year, SkySpecs partnered with a major European owner operator and utility provider to conduct end-of-warranty inspections at their offshore wind farm in the North Sea. This large-scale site features 7 MW turbines with 75-meter blades and a rotor span of 154-meters—demanding precision and efficiency from our pilots who worked in challenging conditions.
Reflecting on the collaboration, Mike Proudlove, General Manager, Inspection Services Europe at SkySpecs said: “At the start of the year, we delivered inspections on one of Europe’s largest offshore windfarms. The client has provided feedback that confirms they are impressed with SkySpec’s autonomous process, not to mention the efficiency and professionalism of our pilots and the extended SkySpecs team. The data output has been extremely valuable to them, and we look forward to enhancing our partnership with the client in the future.”
SkySpecs Provides Technical End to End Solutions
Offshore wind inspections come with a unique set of challenges—from unpredictable weather to complex logistics. SkySpecs not only provides the most highly skilled pilots in the industry, capable of executing autonomous inspections in 28 minutes or less, but also offers end-to-end support to streamline operations. And it doesn’t stop there. Backend data analysis and engineering support round out our offerings. Our services include:
- Logistical Coordination: With over 10,000 offshore turbine inspections completed, SkySpecs has the experience to manage the documentation, permitting and vessel chartering to ensure a seamless execution. Let the SkySpecs project managers and pilots do the hard work. They will show up ready to work, with redundancies of every piece of equipment to ensure we’re optimizing every minute of your valuable down time.
- Equipment Built to Work Offshore: Our fleet of purpose-built, rugged drones can operate in up to 18m/s wind speeds and land in up to 1.5m Hs from a small CTV. When working from an OSV or SOV, significant wave height limits can be safely increased further.
- High-Quality Data Capture: High resolution images with accurate meta data documenting all four sides of each blade produce a robust data set and establish the baseline for future inspections. The drone is also capable of inspecting the nacelle, tower and TP with similar precision.
- Precision’s not just in the Air: Smart data analysis, defect identification and actionable insights streamline the work flow for asset managers ensuring nothing is missed. SkySpecs can advise customers on damage priority, create work orders and even review repair reports to ensure our customers’ blades receive the care they require.
- SkySpecs also leverages a robust failure database with over 9.6 million unique observations and 52,000 high severity defects spanning more than 600 unique combinations of blade makes and models. With such a strong dataset at our backs, our blade engineering team and data scientists trend significant issues and look for similarities across fleets, yielding insights our clients can use in O&M planning, budgeting, and conversations with repair partners, service providers and manufacturers.
- Fast Turnaround, Wherever Possible: Our dedicated teams often go above and beyond to support our clients across Europe and beyond. Even when stationed offshore, data is uploaded daily to our Horizon database, ensuring our shoreside team and our customers have the data as quickly as possible. Turn around time for the release of analysed inspection data is an industry leading 6 business days, with unanalysed data often available within 24-hours.
Driving Offshore Efficiency in 2025
As demand for offshore wind inspections continues to rise, SkySpecs remains committed to delivering industry-leading solutions that enhance turbine performance and extend asset lifespan. With a record-breaking start to the year, we’re poised to redefine efficiency and reliability in offshore wind inspections.
Ready to optimize your offshore wind assets? Get in touch with our team today to learn how SkySpecs can support your next inspection campaign: https://skyspecs.com/product/inspections/
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