Replacing Cable Hang-Off Systems in Ageing Offshore Wind Farms, When OEMs Are No Longer There

As offshore wind capacity surged over the last two decades, thousands of turbines and subsea cables were installed across Europe and Asia. Many of these early-generation offshore wind farms are now entering their long-term operational and refurbishment cycles, bringing cable integrity and asset resilience to the forefront of O&M planning.

However, O&M teams are increasingly facing an unexpected challenge. Many of the original subsea cable manufacturers and the original cable hang-off system and accessory suppliers no longer exist or have withdrawn their sourcing lines from the market. As a result, when wind farms prepare for replacement campaigns or respond quickly to urgent cable failures, securing compatible hang-offs and protection accessories has become a significant bottleneck, leaving asset owners searching for modern, reliable alternatives to keep their infrastructure in service.

Across the global offshore wind fleet, asset owners and O&M teams are increasingly finding themselves unable to source the original cable hang-off systems or the associated cable protection accessories fitted during the early years of installation. Many of these components have since been discontinued, their OEMs no longer exist or any remaining stocks were already consumed during past failure repairs and cable replacement campaigns. This lack of available spares is creating a growing operational risk, particularly as downtime exposure increases when cables fail.

This is particularly critical during:

– Planned replacement campaigns

– Asset integrity refurbishment

– Cable repair operations

– Reactive failure response

– Spare part replenishment for long-term O&M strategies

A wind farm may operate for 25–30 years but many accessory OEMs do not remain in the market

With more than 10,000 cable hang-off systems installed globally across 100+ offshore wind farms, oil and gas platforms and fibre optic cable projects, Vos Prodect has become a key support partner for operators facing OEM obsolescence.

Our universal mechanical cable hang-off system provides:

– A modern, field-proven replacement for obsolete OEM parts

– Compatibility across a wide range of cable diameters and interfaces

– Rapid mobilisation for urgent cable repair campaigns

– Reliable spare-stock supply for long-term asset planning

– Fast and simple offshore assembly

Whether supporting inter-array cables, export cables, platform connections or retrofit scopes, our hang-off systems have been engineered to support both new-build and ageing assets.

OEM disappearance and supply-chain obsolescence will continue to impact ageing offshore wind assets. As wind farms exceed 15–20 years of operation, maintaining the availability of critical cable accessories such as cable hang-off systems and protection systems will become even more essential.

If your project is facing cable hang-off system OEM discontinuation or spare-part shortages, our experienced team is ready to help.