Kongsberg Maritime has secured an approximately $13 million contract to equip a new heavy lift crane vessel for Offshore Heavy Transport (OHT) with an appropriately innovative technology suite.
The vessel, a customised Ulstein Design & Solutions design, marks the entry of the Norway-based Offshore Heavy Transport (OHT) into the offshore renewables and installation market.
Options exist for a further three vessels, but the first is currently under construction by China Merchants Heavy Industry (CMHI) and is scheduled to enter service in 2021.
The vessel has been designed with a submersible main deck and a 3,000 metric tons lifting capacity main crane to expedite heavy-lift crane operations for heavy substructures supporting offshore wind turbines.
Future-proofed in anticipation of the construction of the largest predicted wind turbine generators, the vessel will be capable of transporting and installing up to 10 x 1,500t ultra-large jacket foundations or 11 x 2,000t XXL monopiles, plus transition pieces. The vessel with its open deck of more than 10,000m2 is also suited for subsea installations – oil pipelines, satellite wells, as well as decommissioning.
Kongsberg’s suite will include dynamic positioning, navigation, thruster control and automation systems, all enhanced by inbuilt measures to improve functionality and safety. The delivery will be augmented by an electrical package including battery hybrid power and energy management systems, which will perpetrate a sharp reduction in fuel oil consumption, thereby driving down the vessel’s CO2 and NOx emissions.