Sharing the sea: can multi-use concepts offer a solution to the offshore space race?
As Europe’s seas grow crowded, EU-funded marine multi-use projects show how offshore wind and seaweed farming can share space, cut emissions, and boost marine habitats — offering a smart, sustainable path for the future of offshore industries.
Europe’s offshore waters are no longer the empty expanse they once were. From wind farms to fishing fleets, military drills to seaweed cultivation, the race for marine space is intensifying. With multiple industries competing for the same stretches of sea, the pressure is on to find smarter ways to share offshore zones — and meet climate and sustainability targets, without sinking into conflict.
One emerging approach is multi-use marine projects that combine compatible activities like aquaculture, with renewable energy production in shared offshore zones.
One Ocean, many uses
Eva Strothotte is a project manager working on ULTFARMS and UNITED, European-funded research projects at the forefront of this shift. The international research teams are studying how seaweed farming can operate alongside offshore wind farms.
“Even the offshore area is already heavily used by different people — offshore wind, fishing, the Navy,” Eva Strothotte told Euronews Ocean in Kiel. “Now we come in and want to grow seaweed. So we’re trying to find solutions, to create positive synergies in the same space.”
The multi-use approach goes beyond simply coexisting. It means collaboration — sharing vessels, infrastructure, and data systems to cut costs and emissions.
“The same people who maintain the turbines can take water samples for us,” Strothotte said. “We’re using the same ships, the same power supply for our sensors. It helps reduce our CO₂ footprint.”
This resource-sharing model turns overlap into opportunity: while wind turbines generate clean energy, seaweed farms produce useful biomass — and both benefit from joint logistics.
Building habitats, not just infrastructure
Reimagining the Ocean: ULTFARMS Turns Marine Concrete into Coral Crusades
From Brine to Brilliance
Think of the sea like a crowded nightclub—every creature is fighting for space. ULTFARMS has come in with a fresh playlist: “Let’s make some room to breathe.” By turning ordinary marine infrastructure into fish-friendly habitats, they’re giving the subsea world a real makeover.
Why It Matters (Beyond the Numbers)
- More Habitat: Every concrete slab and hardy substrate is a new flyer’s landing spot for juvenile fish and other critters.
- Life on Every Layer: It’s not just seaweed going solo; the tiny folks on the fixtures are finding a whole community.
- Collaborative Coastlines: While European seas get tighter, projects like ULTFARMS remind us that shared spaces beat solo competitions.
Collaborative blue‑business means waters that’re healthier, chiller, and brimming with biodiversity—turning the ocean from a scramble to a thriving zone.
