This guide helps your build a simple bottom-fixed Construction case. The case features 3 8.4-MW WTGs off the coast of Esbjerg, Denmark. 

As part of the guide, you will learn how to add a base, assets, and logistics. You will also see how to use asset tasks to model assembly and installation of a WTG. Finally, you will see how to set up a heavy lift vessel with realistic process inputs. 

Step 1: Configure your strategy

There are two mandatory fields in the strategy section of your case that we will complete first. 

  1. Click on the Build tab.

  2. Click on Strategy.

  3. Enter values for Emergency response limit and Minimum working length. The screenshot shows some suggested values.

    • Emergency response limit: Defines the travel time the personnel transfer vessel can travel from the drop off site. 

    • Minimum working length: Sets the minimum amount of working time that is required before personnel are transferred to the site. This ensures that personnel are not transferred for individual, small corrective tasks.

      • Caution: If your case has any tasks that require less than 3 hours, the task will not be carried out, and the simulation will fail.


Step 2: Add a base

Note: You will need to create bases in your input library before you can add them to a case. Perform the following steps in your input library first, then add the base to your case.

  1. Click on the Build tab.
  2. Click on the Bases tab.
  3. Click Add.
  4. Choose Esbjerg.

Step 3: Add weather data to your base

Weather data is essential for the Shoresim simulation engine to model your Construction cases. You will need to add weather data to your base and your assets (step 4). 

  1. Click on the Esbjerg base card that you added to your case to edit the base. 
  2. Click on the Weather tab. 
  3. Select a weather square for the base. Those which are coloured green have ERA-5 data pre-downloaded (so are quicker to load), but in either case it is possible to download ERA-5 weather data. Click on the square and select Use ERA5 data. This data should appear to the left.
  4. Click Save to exit.

Step 4: Add and configure your assets

We’re going to add 3 instances of a single asset, an 8.4 MW WTG. On these assets, we’re going to create assembly and installation tasks. We will use a dependency to ensure that our WTGs are not installed until all our assembly tasks are complete. 

  1. Click on the Assets tab. 
  2. Click Add. 
  3. Select an asset on the Wind turbine tab by clicking on the Add instance(s) to case button. If there isn’t an 8.4 MW asset, add a generic one. 
  4. In the Number of Wind turbines to add input, enter 3. 
  5. Click Define site area. 
  6. Click Mark corners on map. 
  7. Mark a location off the coast of Esbjerg.
  8. Click Populate site. 
  9. Click Next.  
  10. Click on the Parameters tab.  
  11. Make sure Rated power is 8.4.  
  12. Click on the Weather tab. 
  13. Select a weather square for the asset. This data should appear to the left.  
  14. Click on the Tasks tab. 
  15. If there are any tasks already, delete them. 
  16. Click Add task. 
  17. Use the following settings: 
    • Title: 01. Assembly 
    • Task type: Assembly 
    • Base: Esbjerg 
    • Logistics > Crane: All cranes 
  18. Click Add task.

  19. Click OK to save your current task. 

  20. For the new task:

    • Title: 02. Installation 

    • Task type: Installation – Bottom Fixed: Shuttle 

    • Base: Esbjerg 

    • Logistics > Heavy lift vessel: All HLVs 

  21. Click Add dependency: 

    • Dependency type: All

      • All means that all the dependent tasks, in this case 01. Assembly, need to be completed before the 02. Installation tasks can start.

    • Dependent task: 01. Assembly

  22. Click Add to exit.

Step 5: Add your logistics

As we saw when creating our tasks, the minimum logistics required for a fixed-bottom WTG assembly and installation are a crane and heavy lift vessel (HLV), which we’ll create now. 

When adding processes to logistics, enter a higher value for the weather window than the step duration, if using both parameters. If the step duration is longer than the weather window, work will continue regardless of weather conditions and weather downtime will not be reported for the affected time periods.


Add a crane 

  1. Go back to the Build section. 
  2. Click on Logistics. 
  3. Click Add. 
  4. Click the Crane button. 
  5. Select an onshore crane. Only 1 crane is required. 
  6. Set the Port to Esbjerg. 
  7. Click Next. 
  8. You now have the option to edit a variety of parameters for the crane, including processes and capacity. Click on the Processes tab. 
  9. Under 2.0 Assembly, enter the following: 
    • Check Flexible. 
      • Flexible means the process does not need to be completed in a single block and can be broken into smaller chunks of time with waiting periods in between. 
      • When you check Flexible, you need to complete 2 additional parameters, Min. work duration and Max wait between work periods.
    • Duration: 10 hours 
    • Min. work duration: 1 hours 
    • Max wait between work periods: 999 hours
  10. Click Add.

Add an HLV

  1. Back on the Logistics section, click Add again. 
  2. Click the Heavy lift vessel button. 
  3. Select an HLV. 
  4. Set the Port to Esbjerg. 
  5. Click Next. 
  6. Again, we have the option to set the vessel parameters. Under the Processes tab, we’ll use the following settings: 
    • 1.0 Mobilisation: 
      • Duration: 72 hours 
    • 2.0 Loadout: 
      • Rename step 1 to Loadout towers. 
        • Check Repeat. 
          • This allows the step with its current settings to repeat for all required loadouts. 
        • Loadout: 1.5 hours 
        • Required weather window: 2 hours 
        • Windspeed: 14 m/s 
        • Windspeed ref. height: 100 m 
      • Click Add step: 
        • Rename step to Loadout nacelles. 
        • Check Repeat. 
        • Check Define max allowed time to wait. 
        • Loadout: 1.5 hours 
        • Required weather window: 2 hours 
        • Max time to wait before start: 720 hours 
        • Windspeed: 14 m/s 
        • Windspeed ref. height: 100 m 
      • Click Add step: 
        • Rename step to Loadout blades. 
        • Check Repeat. 
        • Check Define max time allowed to wait. 
        • Loadout: 4.5 hours 
        • Required weather window: 6 hours 
        • Max time to wait before start: 720 hours 
        • Windspeed: 12 m/s 
        • Windspeed ref. height: 100 m 
    • 3.0 Transit to wind farm: 
      • Speed: 8 kn 
      • Required weather window: 4 hours 
      • Wind speed: 18 m/s 
      • Windspeed ref. height: 100 m 
      • Significant wave height: 1.5 m 
    • 4.0 Jack up: 
      • Duration: 60 mins 
      • Required weather window: 60 mins 
      • Significant wave height: 1.5 m 
    • 6.0 Install component: 
      • Check Flexible. 
      • Duration: 17 hours 
      • Required weather window: 20 hours 
      • Min. work duration: 4 hours 
      • Max wait between work periods: 720 hours 
      • Windspeed: 14 m/s 
      • Windspeed ref. height: 100 m 
    • 9.0 Transit to next asset: 
      • Speed: 5 kn 
      • Required weather window: 2 hours 
      • Significant wave height: 1.5 m 
    • 10.0 Transit to port: 
      • Speed: 12 kn 
      • Required weather window: 2 hours 
      • Significant wave height: 1.5 m 
  7. Click on the Capacitytab. 
    • Set Maximum capacity to 3 
    • Set Minimum required capacity to 1. 
  8. Click Add. 

Step 6: Run a test simulation

We will run a single test simulation to make sure our case is configured correctly. 

  1. Go to the Simulate tab. 
  2. Choose Historical Weather. 
  3. Enter a start date of February 1, 2024. 
  4. Choose 1 Runs.

  5. Click Run simulation. 

You should have two green runs, and your output s-curve should look like the screenshot below. If not, return to steps 4 and 5 and make sure you entered the inputs correctly. If your problem persists, contact support. 


Step 7: Run a full simulation 

We can now run a longer simulation with realistic weather data.  

  1. Go to the Simulate tab.  
  2. Set Weather to Increment start year. This means each simulation you run will start with weather data from one year further into the future. For example:  
    • Run 1: 1970   
    • Run 2: 1971   
    • Run 3: 1972   
    • …   
    • Run XX: 20XX   
  3. Set the number of runs. It’s good practice to set the number of runs to the number of years in your weather data for the most comprehensive simulation outputs. 

With the incremental start year and the relevant number of runs, your output data will be much more comprehensive than your test runs. You can switch between p-values to analyze more and less likely scenarios.