René Faro is part of the subsea cables tender team. This team prepares tenders for clients who are building offshore wind farms around the world. An important aspect of a good tender is the ability to optimise planning to meet the various, often competing, conditions. The client has their requirements, such as completion dates and lead times, but there are also restrictions related to the area in which work is being carried out. For example, there are sometimes certain times offshore when piling is or is not allowed. "And, of course, we also have to deal with meteorological conditions in combination with the capacity of the vessels we are working with," explains René. The challenge is to get the most out of the available resources given all the circumstances and conditions. That way we can make the (potential) customer a compelling and attractive offer.
Royal Boskalis Westminster NV is a well-known leading expert in the field of dredging and maritime services. One of the services offered by the global group is the laying of cables to, from and between offshore wind farms. In order to strengthen its planning team, Boskalis is working with Primaplan and others.
René Faro
Team with experts
René works in a team with multidisciplinary experts, whose knowledge includes engineering and cost calculations. "I feel at home in Boskalis and with this team. I've been taken care of well and I've been trained very well. In the beginning, I had to familiarize myself with the ways of working. For example, when it comes to reading out all the specifications that indicate the capacity of a particular working vessel; these are complex documents. Furthermore, we work with Primavera P6 and Excel files, with which I am very familiar."
We are noticing that our capacity is coming under pressure and expect it will only increase in the near future. This makes it even more challenging for us to develop realistic and efficient project planning.
René Faro, Project Professional at Primaplan
Better analyses
When asked what gives René satisfaction in his work, the answer is clear. "Of course, it is great when we win a lot of tenders, based on a great product that we deliver as a team. And I also like the fact that by asking questions to Boskalis colleagues I can make better analyses and come up with more efficient planning." René says it was secretly a dream of his, as a little boy, to work in the offshore industry. "Setting out anchors and buoys from the back of a tugboat was something I liked. Now I keep my feet dry on-shore, but I am still part of a maritime company."
Energy transition
René expects the work for the subsea cables tender team to only increase. As part of the energy transition, many energy companies are looking for alternatives to fossil fuels. Numerous wind farms will, therefore, be constructed around the world. "We are already seeing capacity coming under pressure and this will only increase in the near future. That makes it even more challenging for us to develop realistic and efficient project plans," concludes René Faro.