Wind power has been the fastest growing form of renewable energy for the last few years. According to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, 80% of the world's energy supply could come from renewable sources by 2050 and wind energy will play a major role in electricity generation in 2050. In the growing market for wind energy and the limited available space onshore, the development of offshore wind farms become more and more important. With a rapid development of technology, the offshore wind power projects have become a trend in many countries like Europe now. Therefore, this paper aims to provide a brief overview of the current development status of offshore wind power in different countries and also explore the technical, economic and environmental issues around its development. Without doubt, offshore wind will lead technology advances in the wind sector in a near future as it seeks to exploit resources further offshore. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.