Port Esbjerg and Moffatt & Nichol develop a 'digital twin' of the port

Danish Ports

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Port Esbjerg in April 2020 (Photo: Christer Holte/Port Esbjerg).

Port Esbjerg is a European leader in offshore wind and has been involved in 55 offshore wind projects. Now, the port will create a 'digital twin' to develop and define the future of port infrastructure for offshore wind by combining Port Esbjerg's experience with the planning, design and infrastructure innovation capabilities of global consultancy Moffatt & Nichol.

Dennis Jul Pedersen, Port Director at Port Esbjerg, explains: "Port Esbjerg and the entire value chain in Esbjerg have extensive experience in supporting offshore wind projects, but we need to be able to simulate the future in order to plan optimally today, which is why we are looking forward to working with Moffatt & Nichol."

Moffatt & Nichol is a global infrastructure consulting firm. In addition to its headquarters in Southern California, the firm has 40 locations in Europe and North and South America. The firm specializes in port planning, development and design and has been involved in some of the largest projects worldwide in recent years. They have been the engineer of record for the four largest US ports of embarkation including Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Virginia.

Joshua Singer, Offshore Wind Lead at Moffatt & Nichol, says the ability to simulate and improve efficiency with one of the epicenters of offshore wind in Europe will generate valuable knowledge that will put Port Esbjerg ahead of the competition. Singer says that "a 'digital twin' will allow Port Esbjerg to simulate any operation relevant to future projects and optimize the infrastructure accordingly."

The offshore wind market is expected to grow considerably, and with it comes a responsibility for the ports that service and support the industry. The increasing demand for offshore wind and the growing size of the components place demands on port infrastructure. Ports must therefore be proactive and plan ahead to provide the flexibility these projects require. With a 'digital twin', Port Esbjerg can prepare for the future.