O&M of offshore wind farms is more difficult and expensive than for equivalent onshore wind farms. The current reliability and failure modes of commercial offshore wind turbines are such that a ‘no maintenance’ strategy is not a viable option. Improved preventive and corrective maintenance schemes will become crucial for economic exploitation of offshore wind power. In particular, improving the accessibility is a key factor in increasing availability.5 A number of current projects are attempting to address the issue of improved access to offshore wind turbine installations, with most focusing on maintaining existing boat access methods, with emphasis on addressing the issue of motion compensation or complete removal of the vessel from the water at the turbine location. Suggested improvements to the base of OWECS to facilitate safe personnel access