Industry told to brace for increased demand for offshore wind engineers

Floater designers will be needed under Singapore’s offshore energy plan.

Demand for offshore wind engineers especially in floater design is expected to rise as Singapore expands its marine and offshore wind sector, analysts said.

“Although only 1% to 2% of new offshore wind capacity today is floating, we expect this to rise to around 15% in the next 10 years due to the move toward deeper waters,” Dieter Billen, a partner for Southeast Asia at management consulting firm Roland Berger, told Singapore Business Review.

Floaters or floating offshore wind platforms are structures that keep wind turbines stable and buoyant while being moored to the seabed.

Offshore wind projects are rightly listed among the key opportunities identified in Singapore’s Marine and Offshore Energy Industry Plan released on 11 February, as Singapore is ideally positioned to become a market leader in offshore wind energy, said Maarten de Vries, a senior associate at Roland Berger.

Under the plan, the city-state seeks to create and redesign 1,000 roles in the industry by 2030, he pointed out.

Offshore wind projects will need skilled professionals in the design and construction of wind turbine installation vessels and cable-laying vessels, among other key roles, De Vries said.

He expects operations and maintenance to generate the most jobs since they demand talent to monitor, repair, and sustain wind turbines and their components.

V. Suresh, chief executive officer at employment platform Foundit, said jobs such as offshore wind project managers, hydrogen energy specialists, digital twin engineers, carbon capture and storage technicians, and sustainability compliance officers have also emerged to support offshore renewable projects.

Industry-wide, emerging roles include sustainability managers, maritime robotics specialists, digital bunkering coordinators, and Internet of Things (IoT) engineers, he added.

Seatrium, one of Singapore’s top listed marine and offshore companies, has introduced positions to facilitate its shift toward offshore renewables and sustainability-focused projects. These include positions for digital app developers, robotic process automation engineers, user experience designers, cybersecurity specialists, and data analysts.

The industry should hone engineering and technical expertise to support the state plan, Suresh said. This includes electrical, technical, and engineering skills for turbine components, high-voltage cables, and substations, as well as lifting, climbing, and rope access training for high-voltage technicians.

Skills in carbon accounting and life cycle assessment, circular economy principles, and renewable energy integration are also important, he added.

He said marine and offshore companies could tap training initiatives from SkillsFuture Singapore, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Singapore Polytechnic, and Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore on topics such as Industry 4.0, green shipping, and smart port management.