Offshore wind energy infrastructure requires geosynthetic solutions that perform in the most demanding marine and coastal environments. Secutex® Soft Rock geotextile sand containers, Combigrid® geocomposites and Secugrid® geogrids protect monopile foundations, stabilise onshore cable corridors and enable construction on saturated, soft substrates - reliably, economically, and with a long service life.
Naue geosynthetics are deployed at every stage of offshore wind farm construction from the seabed to the substation.
Protecting monopile foundations from marine scour
Bearing capacity on soft, variable subsoils for heavy plant access
Reinforcing granular fill for substation platform construction
Stabilise and separate soil along buried cable corridors
Prevent fines migration at tidal landfall transition zones
Offshore wind construction exposes geosynthetics to extreme conditions: wave action, tidal currents, heavy installation equipment and remote logistics. Secutex® Soft Rock geotextile sand containers and Combigrid® geocomposites are designed to perform under these demands from seabed scour protection to onshore enabling works.
Practical benefits:
Preventing the migration of fine particles is central to durable offshore wind infrastructure. At marine scour protection systems, the geotextile filter retains the seabed and prevents subsoil sediment loss through the container. On onshore cable routes crossing peat or saturated soils, the same filtration principle stops fines migrating into imported aggregate and preserves bearing capacity. Naue provides targeted solutions for each scenario, three exemplary solutions are presented below.
Key principle: Reinforcement improves bearing capacity, and separation and filtration protect it over the long term.
Product selection depends on substrate type, load class, filtration requirement, and scour risk. The table below provides a direct comparison across four criteria. Use this to shortlist the right solution for your project or discover the Naue SolutionFinder, which helps to select the right products digitally and step-by-step.
Note: Combinations of products are common. Combigrid® (reinforcement + filtration) is frequently used for onshore access tracks, whilst Secutex® Soft Rock handles the offshore scour protection function independently.
| Substrate type | Load class | Filtration need | Scour risk | Recommended product |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soft seabed/sand | Marine hydrodynamic | High (wave action) | High | Secutex® Soft Rock |
| Coastal peat/soft clay | Light to medium | High (fines migration) | Low | Combigrid® + Secutex® |
| Variable CBR 0.4-3 % | Heavy site traffic | Medium | None | Combigrid® |
| Stable subsoil | Heavy site traffic | Low | None | Secugrid® |
Proven performance data
Verified performance data from real offshore projects. Products meet DNV-ST-0126, EN 13249, BS 8006-1 and EN ISO 9001:2015. Structured product data are available for BIM and specification integration.
Major cost and material savings
Up to 66 % material reduction compared with mineral scour protection. Scour protection installation decoupled from pile driving enables major schedule and vessel cost savings.
Fast and simple installation
Secutex® Soft Rock provides combined filter, erosion control and scour protection in one element. Containers are filled onshore and transported ready for deployment. For onshore infrastructure, Combigrid® comes in 100 m rolls, 4.75 m wide with a simple overlap jointing system so that no specialist equipment required.
Single-source system supply
Naue provides geosynthetic solutions for the full project scope: offshore scour protection, onshore access roads and cable routes, separation along cable corridors, and sealed cable trench containment - all from one supplier.
Geosynthetic scour protection for offshore wind turbines describes the use of geotextile sand containers, such as Secutex® Soft Rock, to prevent seabed erosion around monopile foundations. Wave action and tidal currents remove seabed material around piles; scour protection systems arrest this process and protect foundation integrity.
Secutex® Soft Rock (geotextile sand containers) for offshore scour protection; Combigrid® for onshore access road and cable route stabilisation; Secugrid® for granular fill reinforcement; Secutex® nonwoven for separation and filtration. Product selection depends on the specific application.
Similar systems can also be found in our hydraulic engineering solutions.
Key standards include DNV-ST-0126 (offshore wind turbine support structures), EN 13249 (geotextiles for road construction), BS 8006-1 (reinforced fill), and EN ISO 9001:2015 (quality management). Naue products carry CE marking and Declarations of Performance. Project-specific requirements may reference additional national codes.
At the Amrumbank West offshore wind farm, geotextile scour protection required approximately one third of the material volume of a mineral scour protection system. Logistics costs are also significantly lower as containers are filled onshore from local sand and transported ready for installation, eliminating specialist rock transport vessels. For project-specific comparison, you can use calculation software in the Naue Portal or contact us.
Containers are filled with sand onshore to a weight of approximately 1,400-1,700 kg per unit, then transported to site by vessel. Installation uses standard marine equipment; no specialist pile-driving vessels are required. The geotextile scour system can be installed fully in advance of pile driving, which decouples the two work packages and simplifies programme planning.
Yes. Naue geosynthetics for offshore wind are designed and tested in accordance with DNV-ST-0126, EN 13249, EN ISO 9001:2015 and EN ISO 14001:2015. CE marking and Declarations of Performance are available for all relevant products. Third-party type testing and factory production control certificates are provided as standard.
Yes. Naue provides geosynthetic solutions for the full project scope: Secutex® Soft Rock for offshore scour protection at monopile foundations; Combigrid® and Secugrid® for onshore access roads and cable corridors; Secutex® for separation along cable routes.
Secutex® Soft Rock geotextile containers were installed at Amrumbank West Offshore Wind Farm and withstood Storm Xaver in December 2013, which generated significant wave heights of Hs = 7.8 m and maximum wave heights of Hmax = 20.46 m. The design wave for the 25-year return interval was Hmo = 8.4 m. Double-seam construction ensures the highest joint durability under repeated wave loading. Container stability is verified through hydraulic physical model testing in accordance with DNV-ST-0126. More project references can be found in our case studies.
A Combigrid® geocomposite is installed as the base course reinforcement and separation layer along access tracks. A Secutex® nonwoven can be placed over peat deposits and groundwater seepages. This allowed access track construction to proceed without ground exchange, and tracks were successfully reinstated post-construction. Naue provides standard-compliant design support for cable corridor geotechnical design.
The design of geosynthetic systems for offshore wind applications follows recognised international and national standards. Naue engineers provide project-specific technical support in person and via digital tools. The service ranges from scour protection hydraulic design to access road bearing capacity analysis.
Naue Secutex® H is a geotextile for separation and filtration in hydraulic engineering, coastal protection and waterway construction.
Naue Secutex® Soft Rock is a geotextile sand container for coastal protection, scour protection and riverbank stabilisation.
Naue Combigrid® is a geogrid with integrated nonwoven geotextile that combines stabilisation, reinforcement, separation and filtration in a single installation step.
Naue Secugrid® geogrid stabilises and reinforces roads, embankments, working platforms, slopes and walls.
