Harnessing the giants: safer windmill blade logistics in Marine Insurance P&I Club News 17/04/2026 As wind‑energy deployment accelerates globally, the logistics of transporting major turbine components—particularly blades, towers, and nacelles—have become increasingly complex. Drawing on Gard’s claims experience, this article explores the most common causes of damage during the carriage of turbine parts, highlighting key risks and practical steps owners and operators can take to reduce exposure. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), turbine sizes have grown substantially, with taller hub heights and larger rotor diameters now standard. This underscores the need for robust heavy‑lift capability, dedicated project‑cargo vessels, and more streamlined permitting and development processes. Although multipurpose vessels are generally best suited for wind‑component transport, the growing use of bulk carriers for these shipments demands closer risk evaluation and tighter operational controls to ensure safe carriage. Gard has significant claim experience with how technical and operational vulnerabilities manifest. The following case studies provide examples of typical failure modes, underpinning the broader issues discussed in the subsequent section. Key issues The case studies outlined above highlight a pattern of technical and operational vulnerabilities in the sea transportation of wind energy components. While only a few examples are presented here, Gard has been involved in several similar incidents. When assessed collectively, these incidents reveal several critical risk areas that require stronger oversight, clearer allocation of responsibility, and more robust engineering and operational controls. Lashings Lashings are among the most critical safety components in the transport of wind energy cargoes. In practice, lashing materials and securing operations are often supplied and executed by charterer appointed stevedores, which can limit the vessel owner’s direct oversight of procurement and quality control. As a result, there is a risk that certified lashing materials may not meet the actual strength requirements for the voyage. Several incidents have also shown that vessels did not carry sufficient spare lashings to replace damaged gear during the voyage, increasing the risk of escalation once failures were detected at sea. Fire safety The unauthorized use of hot work by shore personnel – without proper permits, fire watch arrangements, or crew notification, represents a significant and recurring risk. These events can escalate rapidly, often necessitating the release of fixed CO₂ systems and the mobilization of external firefighting assistance. The consequences are frequently severe, particularly where high value components such as nacelles are exposed to fire, heat, or smoke damage. Insufficient engineering controls, structural design & installation quality Several incidents were linked to shortcomings in engineering discipline and execution. These included missing or inadequate acceleration assessments, improvised load spreading arrangements that overstresses hatch covers, and transport frames that were not structurally suited to the actual loading configuration. Installation quality further compounded these issues. Misaligned blade transport frames created uneven load paths and localized stress concentrations, ultimately resulting in structural deformation and blade damage. Taken together, these cases point to gaps in e