DNV has created a new ship type notation for deck carriers to accelerate the classification of this emerging ship type needed in growing numbers to transport the oversized components of current and next-generation offshore wind turbines.
Since no existing ship class described these vessels adequately, they had to be classed individually in the past.
As the energy transition picks up speed and wind turbine sizes continue to grow, these specialised ships play a key role in transporting rotor blades and tower sections that are too large to fit into the cargo holds of conventional multipurpose or heavy-lift vessels.
“On conventional multipurpose vessels, cargo cannot be stacked very high on deck because it will obstruct the line of sight from the bridge in the aft section. This is why the superstructure on a deck carrier is positioned at the front, with the cargo behind it,” explained Jan Rüde, ship type expert MPV, hull structure and outfitting at DNV. “What is more, hatch covers on most MPVs are not strong enough to support the weight of several sets of blades or very heavy windmill components,” he added.
With a front deckhouse, a large, open, low-lying deck space instead of a cargo hold, and strong hull and deck reinforcements, this ship type can carry cargo of nearly any size, such as blades stacked several layers high, without obstructing the line of sight from the bridge.
The first vessels bearing DNV’s deck carrier class sign, BoldWind and BraveWind, are both owned by United Wind Logistics (UWL) and operated by Vestas on long-term charter, primarily between the Vestas rotor blade factory in Nakskov, Denmark, and various European ports or wind farm sites.
