The vessels are enhanced GustoMSC 9000C designs, meaning self elevating vessels with four jackup legs and a large installation crane. The design incorporates important features from inhouse experience from offshore wind installation and maintenance work, as well as 160 years of maritime history. The governing thought throughout the vessel design phase has been to make the vessels as operable and flexible as possible, to perform the required tasks for loading, transporting and erecting wind turbine equipment offshore. Open deck space and accessibility achieved e.g. by the crane wrapping around one of the legs, plus the operability of a high performance jacking systems designed for fast and frequent jacking operations as required by the wind industry, are vital key words in this respect.
Says Tor Erik Andreassen, Managing Director of Fred. Olsen Windcarrier: ”We are confident that the vessels and their optimized design will contribute to a considerably more efficient installation process for offshore wind turbines. The technical solutions custom designed for the wind industry, providing a wider weather window, will extend the operability, greatly reduce installation time, limit the need for many other vessels and hence reduce overall installation costs. Adding to the vessel efficiency, they will be manned with a versatile multifunctional crew, also drawing on experienced wind installation teams from our daughter company Global Wind Services.”
The vessels shall be delivered in May and September 2012 and the contract with the yard includes options for two additional vessels.
Source: windcarrier, 11 March, 2010, Press release