Encomara Secures ABS Design Approval for Squid Floating Wind Installation System Ahead of Scottish Trials
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Scottish floating wind technology developer Encomara has received Product Design Assessment approval from the American Bureau of Shipping for its Squid floating offshore wind installation system, advancing the technology to the next stage of qualification following the Approval in Principle granted by ABS in November 2025. The approval comes ahead of onshore demonstrations at the Aurora Energy Services facility in Huntly, Scotland, scheduled for July, followed by inshore testing and customer demonstrations at Ardersier in August.
Technology Design and Installation Logic
The Squid system integrates pre-installed mooring lines and electrical connections into a single subsea unit, enabling the full subsea infrastructure of a floating wind turbine to be installed in advance of the turbine itself. Once the subsea unit is in place, the floating wind turbine can be connected through a simplified plug-and-play process rather than requiring the simultaneous management of mooring and cable operations during the turbine installation campaign. The separation of subsea preparation from turbine installation is commercially significant because it removes the most weather-sensitive and time-critical elements of the operation from the critical path, allowing installation vessels to work more efficiently by focusing on turbine hook-up rather than managing the full complexity of a combined installation spread. The approach also supports tow-to-port maintenance strategies that reduce the cost and operational complexity of servicing turbines over the life of a floating wind project.
Commercial Case and Cost Reduction Potential
Modelling studies supported by Scottish Enterprise and offshore wind developers indicate that the Squid system could reduce installation times by up to 50 percent compared with conventional methods, while increasing the available weather windows for installation campaigns. Encomara estimates the approach could save developers up to US$1.34 billion, equivalent to approximately £1 billion, per gigawatt of floating wind capacity. Encomara managing director Ian Donald has described the system as capable of potentially doubling the number of turbines that can be installed in a typical season, directly addressing one of the most significant practical constraints on the delivery of gigawatt-scale floating wind farms. Installation vessel availability and weather-limited operating windows are among the most consequential cost drivers in floating wind, and a technology that compresses the installation timeline and expands the window within which installation can proceed has a direct and material impact on project economics.
ABS Qualification Process and Patent Portfolio
ABS conducted a detailed technical review of the Squid system against class and industry requirements for floating offshore wind applications before issuing the Product Design Assessment. The progression from AiP to PDA follows the structured qualification pathway that ABS applies to novel marine technology, with the PDA representing a more detailed and specific technical endorsement than the feasibility-level AiP. Patents for the Squid system have been secured across Europe, Asia, and Australia, providing intellectual property protection across the principal markets where floating offshore wind is expected to develop at scale. The Aurora Energy Services facility in Huntly has been identified as a potential manufacturing hub as the technology moves toward large-scale deployment, reinforcing the Scottish industrial base for a system developed and qualified within Scotland.
Implications for the Floating Wind Supply Chain
The Squid technology addresses a structural challenge that is expected to become more acute as floating offshore wind scales from demonstration to commercial deployment. The global floating wind industry faces a fundamental constraint in installation capacity, with the combination of complex simultaneous mooring, cable, and turbine installation operations, limited specialist vessel availability, and constrained weather windows creating a bottleneck that threatens to slow the delivery of the floating wind pipeline needed to meet decarbonisation targets. A proven plug-and-play installation system that reduces vessel time on site, simplifies the installation sequence, and expands the weather windows within which operations can safely proceed would have significant commercial value across the European, Asian, and Australian floating wind markets where Encomara holds patent protection. The upcoming Scottish test programme will be the critical next step in translating the ABS-approved design into demonstrated operational performance.
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This article was contributed by an external writer affiliated with our publication.
