Stephanie making waves in green energy industry

Former student Stephanie is playing her part in the renewable energy industry as she trains to become an officer on a ship.

The 21-year-old from Holyhead studied Level 2 Marine Engineering at Coleg Llandrillo in Rhos-on-Sea, before moving on to Level 3 Travel and Tourism at Coleg Menai in Bangor.

She is now in the final year of her Higher National Diploma in Nautical Science at Solent University in Southampton, and is coming to the end of five months at sea as part of her course.

Stephanie has for the last few weeks been on Purus Horizon, an 81-metre vessel working on wind farms off the coast of the Netherlands. The ship supports offshore wind farms across Europe by providing safe access to both fixed-foundation and floating wind turbine generators for construction and maintenance.

She said: “Before starting in the offshore wind industry, I didn’t know much about it. I could see the Gwynt y Môr wind farm off the North Wales coast and that was about it. But now I’m working here and learning more, you learn just how much energy some of these windfarms can create.

“A wind farm I previously worked on was Burbo Bank out of Liverpool. Each of the 32 wind turbines can produce 8MW of energy every day, which is a total of 256MW a day, which is enough to power thousands of homes.”

It is Stephanie’s first time working on a large ship, after previously sailing on a number of smaller crew transfer vessels in the seas around Belgium, Scotland and the Isle of Man.

“I’ve been at sea since May 30 on a variety of small 30m vessels,” she said. “However, a few weeks ago I finally got the chance to join a larger vessel, Purus Horizon.

“It’s a very different experience but an amazing one at that. We have a lot more crew and clients onboard.

“During my time onboard, I have been assisting the third officer with his daily jobs, which include checking the firefighting equipment throughout the vessel, watchkeeping and assisting with any paperwork we have to complete.

“The biggest highlight of my time at sea so far has been completing my first ‘push-on’ when I was on the smaller crew transfer vessels. Basically this is safely putting the vessel on a turbine so we can transfer the technicians onto the turbine.

“But my biggest highlight on the larger vessel would have been steering the ship for the first time, as it is different to a crew transfer vessel.

“Unlike on the smaller vessels, the controls are inverted, so to steer right you turn them to the left, and vice versa. At first it is a bit tricky but you do eventually get used to it. It’s also a much larger vessel to control at 81m.

In an industry that’s still male-dominated, Steph is one of only two female crew members on board her current ship - a situation she is well used to.

Asked if she has any advice for young women considering a career in the maritime industry, she said: “Don’t be scared of proving yourself, asking questions, or pointing things out.

“I used to be very scared of pointing something out or asking a question in case I was wrong or sounded silly, but that’s the best way to learn. Remember, you can be just as good as, or better than, anyone else you work with.”

Steph will return to shore at the end of October, ready to finish her cadetship and qualify as a certified Officer of the Watch.

“Once I finish the course next year, I hope to complete a Dynamic Positioning Course so I can return to this vessel and work as an officer,” she said. “I’d love to stay within the offshore wind industry. I love working here, and learning all about the wind turbines and how everything works. I find it so interesting.”

Steph added: “I would like to stay on my current vessel or within the company. One day far in the future I hope to qualify as a captain and have my own vessel.”

Do you want to work in the maritime industry? Click here to learn more about Grŵp Llandrillo Menai’s Marine Technology courses, or for Travel and Tourism, click here.