Belgian Offshore Days 2019
Ostend receives over 1200 offshore wind professionals at the fifth edition of the Belgian Offshore Days
On 20 and 21 March, the fifth edition of the Belgian Offshore Days were taking place in Ostend. 61 companies and over 1200 international offshore wind professionals have signed up for this two-day event. Focus on these fifth Belgian Offshore Days is on the development of services needed to maintain existing and future wind farms.
All companies who presented themselves in Ostend are active in sub aspects of the offshore wind industry. The many international professionals come from the Netherlands, Denmark, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Norway, Poland, Russia and Belgium.
Future-oriented maintenance of wind farms
The first day of the fair was opened by Christophe Dhaene, chairman of the Belgian Offshore Cluster and Bart Tommelein, mayor of the City of Ostend.
"Several (Belgian) wind farms have been productive for years. Besides building new wind farms, the maintenance of existing ones is becoming ever more important. That is why, during the Belgian Offshore Days, we extensively pay attention to "Servitization": companies can figure out how services can play an increasingly big role in keeping wind farms active for a longer period of time", said Christophe Dhaene.
The city Ostend is the place to be for installation, maintenance and scientific research leading to commercialization and innovative techniques.
Ostend is the hotspot and centre of knowledge for the Belgian off-shore industry. “Ostend manifests itself as an important player on the international market,” said mayor Tommelein enthusiastically. “The BOC plays an essential role in spreading our knowhow and expertise abroad. The delegations from Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands and the U.K. are proof that the BOC achieves its goal.”
B2B Matchmaking brought together more than 100 professionals
The fair Factory of the Future, The Blue Cluster and Port of Oostende, organised the Inn2POWER - B2B Matchmaking Event, which brought together more than 100 professionals.
Other speakers during the two-day event include Pieter Jan Jordaans (IBN Offshore Energy), Michael Wilkinson (DNV-GL), Guy Van Roy (ZF), Jan Pieter Schrick (LM), Geert Dangreau (Coordinator Cluster Policy POM) and Dirk Declerck (CEO Port of Oostende).
Visitors to the Belgian Offshore Days also get the exclusive opportunity to visit the Taillevent, Jan De Nul’s installation vessel in the Port of Oostende.
Belgian Offshore Cluster wants to help shape evolutions in the technology sector
BOC is the association that brings together Belgian suppliers to the offshore wind industry. The aim of the cluster is to stimulate cooperation between the companies working in the wind energy sector and to serve as a gateway to the international market. This two-day B2B fair is therefore an excellent occasion for companies to enhance their international network and discover new opportunities. In addition, BOC wants to guide the Belgian wind energy sector in the rapidly changing technology landscape.