The IIMM were recently represented by Capt. Dónal Keane at a seminar on offshore renewable energy hosted by the Irish Maritime Law Association, of which the IIMM is a member. Here is Donal’s summary of the event.
The conference brought together leaders from the offshore renewable energy (ORE) sector—spanning legal, regulatory, maritime, insurance, and port operations—to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing offshore wind and related marine infrastructure. A recurring theme throughout the sessions was the tension between rapid technological and commercial expansion and the slower pace of regulatory, planning, and port development frameworks.
Alex Severance of DLA Piper opened with an overview of current offshore wind technologies, distinguishing between fixed-bottom structures, typically installed in depths of 60–80 meters, and floating platforms capable of operating in waters up to 1,000 meters deep. He emphasized that offshore projects involve far more than turbines, including substations and grid connections. A major legal question raised within Comité Maritime International (the International Maritime Law body) is whether floating ORE platforms should be classified as vessels—a determination with significant regulatory implications. He also highlighted the investment risk created by slow or inconsistent permitting processes.
Statkraft’s Tina Raleigh described the long-running development of the North Irish Sea Array, which has been in planning since 2018 and has generated over 10,000 pages of documentation. Persistent uncertainty around project timelines may delay construction until 2030. She stressed the need for additional grid interconnectors to support Ireland’s future offshore capacity.
From the Irish Coast Guard, Kevin Whitney outlined recent navigation and salvage guidance published in 2025. He described the use of AIS behavioural monitoring and EMSA satellite inspections, followed by aircraft verification, to support pollution control along the Irish coast.
Several speakers focused on the complexity of ORE. JP Kearns noted the evolving technology landscape—including emerging tools such as quantum navigation—and stressed the importance of involving maritime professionals to provide practical insight to regulators, lawyers, and insurers.
Ciaran McCarthy addressed regulatory misalignment, explaining that Ireland lacks standalone ORE regulations. Instead, regulations regarding offshore service vessels have been shoehorned onto the end of recent legislation regarding the dissolution of the MCIB and creation of a new Marine Accident Investigation Unit. The Code of Safety for Ships Carrying Industrial Personnel (IP Code) occupies a grey area between cargo and passenger vessel rules. The UK’s acceptance of the non-mandatory Special Purpose Ships (SPS) Code, contrasted with Ireland’s non-acceptance, may complicate operations for vessels mobilizing from Ireland. A future harmonized code could alleviate these issues.
Insurance perspectives from McGill and North Standard P&I highlighted differences between ORE and traditional oil and gas operations. ORE projects involve large arrays, long transition phases, and lower maximum-loss scenarios (an entire array is unlikely to be destroyed whereas an entire oil field could be – less units nvolved).
P&I representatives explained how many offshore activities fall outside mutual (P&I) coverage, forcing companies to purchase specialist operations extensions. Issues also arise in determining when cargo carriage ends and installation begins.
Contracting challenges were addressed by Marie-Louise O’Hara of Acteon and Cathal Leigh Doyle of Stephenson Harwood, who noted that unlike the mature oil and gas sector, ORE contracts remain fragmented and heavily negotiated. Excessive modification of contract clauses increases cost, introduces uncertainty, and undermines their intended efficiency. Jurisdictional inconsistencies further complicate risk allocation with many ORE contracts moving away from British Admiralty law which has traditionally been used and is well tested.
Legal sessions explored MARA’s Maritime Area Consents (MAC), highlighting barriers for state bodies that struggle to demonstrate funding and technical capacity simultaneously. The need to avoid “reinventing the wheel” by adopting Scottish precedents was emphasized.
Finally, the port-focused discussions underscored infrastructure bottlenecks. Ireland’s 2013 national ports policy did not anticipate ORE, and major upgrades are only now progressing. Cork aims for an ORE terminal by 2026, while Rosslare and Waterford target 2028. Grid constraints outside the east coast remain problematic, and 2030 national targets are widely seen as unachievable—prompting reframing toward “under construction by 2030.” Ports, operating as commercial entities without state capital support, face particular funding challenges, with the Port of Cork citing planning expiration as a major setback. Belfast Harbour, meanwhile, is experiencing strong momentum but must balance ORE with traditional commercial trade.
The seminar was very informative and allowed IIMM to create some new contacts in the industry and renew some old ones. Congratulations to IMLA on a well run event.
Dónal Keane
27th November 2025
