Lowestoft’s Lisa named first vessel godmother
A Lowestoft woman has been anointed a vessel’s ‘godmother’ in a proud first as she officially christened a new state-of-the-art vessel that will work on the East Anglia TWO windfarm.
ScottishPower Renewables’ Lisa Western was bestowed the honour – a long-standing maritime tradition – by vessel operator, Cadeler, ahead of the official naming ceremony for its latest A-class jack-up wind installation vessel, Wind Ace.
The distinction makes Lisa – who heads up the consents and compliance teams for ScottishPower Renewables’ East Anglia offshore windfarms – the company’s first vessel godmother in history.
Having a godmother is believed to bring good luck, safety and prosperity for a vessel, its crew and its passengers.
A godmother’s main duties include officially naming and ‘christening’ the vessel, with the traditional champagne bottle breaking against the bow to give it a blessing for future travels, which Lisa carried out in style.
Lisa said: “It was an incredible and completely unexpected honour to take part in such an important tradition and get the chance to bless Wind Ace and all who will sail in her when she takes to the waters later this year. Who would have thought a girl from Lowestoft, with all its maritime heritage, would become a global offshore vessel’s godmother!
“It’s especially exciting to know it won’t be too long before Wind Ace will be operating in and out of Great Yarmouth port once the offshore construction work for East Anglia TWO – which will provide clean power for almost one million homes – gets underway next year. I can’t wait to get on board and meet the crew when she comes to town.
“A massive thank you to Cadeler, shipbuilders COSCO and everyone involved in the naming ceremony. I was treated like royalty and felt like The Queen with the crowds, the pomp and the circumstance! It was a real wow moment and one I will remember for the rest of my life.”
Cadeler owns and operates the world’s largest fleet of jack-up offshore wind installation vessels. Headquartered in Copenhagen, it has been investing heavily in the UK thanks to offshore wind projects like ScottishPower Renewables’ East Anglia TWO. It recently moved to a larger UK office in Norwich to support its future ambitions and commitment to the renewables industry.
Mikkel Gleerup, Cadeler’s long-term CEO commented: “We were proud to welcome Lisa to formally name Cadeler’s Wind Ace at the naming ceremony. In doing so, she has given identity to a vessel that will play an important role in supporting the continued expansion of offshore wind. As part of our A-class series, Wind Ace is purpose-built to meet the increasing scale and complexity of offshore wind. Designed to excel in the transportation and installation of XXL monopile foundations, she brings the capacity and flexibility needed to support the next generation of offshore wind farms, including landmark projects such as East Anglia TWO.”
Lisa (56) joined ScottishPower Renewables in an administrative role in April 2019 when the company was recruiting for the operations and maintenance team for its flagship East Anglia ONE offshore windfarm.
She’s now responsible for ensuring that windfarm – as well as three others, including two in construction – meet all consent and compliance requirements for development, construction and operation.
As well as becoming Wind Ace’s ceremonial godmother, Lisa is actually godmother to her best friend Susie James’s 17-year-old daughter, Jenny from Lowestoft.
Jenny said: “It’s so funny to think that a boat and I share a godmother in Auntie Lisa. I suppose I’ve had the benefit of her helping me steer the right course all these years and now it’s Wind Ace’s turn!
“It’s been brilliant to see how excited she is about this fantastic honour, which not many people will get to experience and is so well deserved. I’ll just need to keep reminding her whose godmother she was first!”
Wind Ace is scheduled for delivery to Cadeler later this year, with East Anglia TWO offshore construction due to get underway in 2027.
The East Anglia TWO offshore windfarm will be located in the southern North Sea approximately 33km from the Suffolk coast at its nearest point off Southwold and 37km from Lowestoft. It will have an operational capacity of up to 960MW – enough to power the equivalent of around 950,000 homes with clean, green electricity.
