As the world’s floating wind power fleet has expanded from prototype to array, with first commercial-scale projects now tantalisingly close to lift-off, the debate in industry has tended to focus foremost on the technology’s hull design – spar, semisubmersible, ‘damping pool’ barge, tension leg platform – and turbine ‘agnosticism’ to platform in shaping the economic case.

But a big part of the sector’s future viability could come from a shift in thinking above the waterline.