Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 February 2023 to Question 141634 on Wind Power: Seas and Oceans, what the requirements and criteria are that non-UK Flagged vessels must meet in order to operate in the offshore wind sector.

Requirements for a foreign operator to operate under the guise of a High-Speed Offshore Service Craft (HSOSC) are the same as for operating UK vessels. However, the flag state has to approach the UK to request permission to operate in UK waters and any additional conditions for their Permit To Operate (PTO), noting that the UK has a mutual letter of acceptance with the Danish Maritime Authority (DMA) and the Netherlands for their equivalence Certificate Standard to the UK HSOSC Code.

Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU), Mobile Offshore Unit (MOU) and Mobile Offshore Windfarm Unit (MOWU) vessels may operate under the cargo vessel statutory certification, as per a UK vessel or be in possession of compliance certificates under the MODU Code. The UK would not accept MODU certificates on MOU/MOWU’s; they would have to comply with the cargo equivalent for their gross tonnage and/length as per a UK vessel.

Non-UK Workboats are required to hold an equivalent workboat Certificate or Load Line (or Load Line Exemption), which is accepted within the UK. Any Offshore Supply Vessel, Emergency Response Rescue Vessel (ERRV) or conventional cargo vessel have the same operator requirements as per UK vessels. All the above certification requirements for operators on all mentioned vessels are applicable to UK and non-UK operators in UK territorial waters including the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).