Norwegian shipbuilder and designer Ulstein has revealed a new design for a wind farm installation vessel that should enable operators and contractors to transport and install supersized monopiles or jacket foundations.
“The significant shortage of foundation installation vessels as projected by market analysts and brokers calls for immediate action,” Ulstein said, adding that the ship type is “the most under-ordered segment in offshore wind,” citing Clarksons Securities.
After four years in development, Ulstein in February floated an upgraded version of its heavy lift vessel design – the HX118, which is the third evolution of its SOC 5000, of which several vessels are in operation or under construction, including Heerema’s Aegir and Subsea 7’s Seven Borealis. The design features a 5,000 mt main crane and includes methanol-powered generators, an optimised hull design and smart integration of battery systems.
Measuring 230 m in length, the company’s latest and largest heavy lift vessel design, Ulstein HX122, sports an 8,000 mt crane and a 10,000 sq m deck area to efficiently handle foundations of up to 5,000 tonnes.
“The quick developments in this industry create uncertainty with wind farm developers, where we see for some future projects the preference to install even larger foundations up to 5,000 tonnes. Hence the need for a larger capacity vessel,” explained Nick Wessels, marketing and sales manager at Ulstein Design & Solutions.
