Lloyd’s Register approves SHI’s next-generation SnapWind Float offshore wind design

The new design aims to meet the growing demand for safe, scalable offshore wind solutions.

Lloyd’s Register (LR) has granted Approval in Principle (AiP) to Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) for its new Floating Offshore Wind Turbine (FOWT) design, SnapWind Float.

Announced this week at Gastech 2025 in Milan, SnapWind Float has been developed to deliver floating wind solutions that can unlock deeper water sites and higher-capacity renewable energy sites worldwide.

In addition, the SnapWind Float design is optimised for the development of floating offshore wind farms in regions where skilled workforce, heavy lifting equipment and sufficient workspace are limited.

SHI’s engineering team completed the concept and basic design, while LR carried out a comprehensive review, in accordance with its rules and international standards, to verify the feasibility and safety of the design and clears the way for its progression towards commercial deployment.

Sean van der Post, LR’s Global Offshore Business Director, said: “As the offshore wind industry seeks new solutions to unlock deeper waters and higher capacity sites, the SnapWind Float demonstrates significant progress toward establishing floating wind as a commercially sustainable solution at scale.”

Hae-Ki Jang, Chief Technology Officer at Samsung Heavy Industries, said: “The SnapWind Float is designed to meet the challenges of offshore wind developers who require efficient and commercially viable solutions. Receiving AiP from Lloyd’s Register is an important milestone that validates our technology and supports the next stage of offshore wind development worldwide.”

About Lloyd’s Register

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Lloyd’s Register (LR) is a global professional services group specialising in marine and offshore engineering, technology and digital solutions. We were created more than 260 years ago as the world’s first marine classification society to improve and set standards for the safety of ships.

Today we are a leading provider of classification and compliance services to the marine and offshore industries, helping our clients design, construct and operate their assets to accepted levels of safety and environmental compliance.

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