MPI Adventure is among the most sophisticated of the newbuilds on order currently and is derived from the design of MPI Resolution, the first purpose-built turbine installation vessel to enter service. Whilst the majority of its work will take place when the installation vessel is in the jacked-up position, it will also be capable of significant lifting performance whilst the vessel is in the floating position, either at sea or in port. The electrohydraulic machine weighs in excess of 400 tonnes. The crane will be capable of lifting loads up to 1,000 tonnes to a height of more than 100m. The main crane for the new ship, which was designed by Gusto MSC of the Netherlands, was constructed in China and transported to Cosco Nantong Shipyard by barge. In October 2010 MPI Offshore in the UK celebrated another milestone in the construction of its turbine installer, MPI Adventure, with the installation of the 1,000-tonne-capacity main crane.
When installing offshore wind turbines, the jack up will accommodate 74 people.
NMF will equip the unit with a crane with an outreach of 30m, capable of lifting 900 tonnes and of operating at a height of up to approximately 120m above water level. It will have a draft of 5.7m and be capable of transiting between assignments at 12 knots. The Type 187 design will be 139m in length, with a breadth of 38m. The jack up will have a loading capacity of up to 6,500 tonnes and will be able to work safely in depths of up to 45m. Sietas is also responsible for designing the jack up and acting as systems integrator, and Neuenfelder Maschinenfabrik (NMF), which is part of the Sietas Group, will supply the crane. Delivery of the jack-up is due to take place in September 2012. The contract also includes an option for a second unit. Most are either self-propelled jack ups or ship-shaped vessels with jacking legs, depending primarily on the water depth in which they are intended to operate.Īmong the latest companies to invest in a turbine installation unit is Dutch dredging and marine contractor Van Oord, which awarded Sietas shipyard in Germany a contract to build a conventional jack-up vessel for delivery in September 2012. Such is the rapid pace of development in the industry that the last 12-18 months have seen an unprecedented number of turbine installation vessels ordered and many new designs brought to market.
Accomplishing such a huge undertaking will challenge all parts of the windfarm supply chain, not least the vessels that transport and install them, and is forcing shipowners and naval architects to rethink vessel design. Translated into numbers this will create a need for more than 6,000 turbines to be installed. The UK has set a major challenge with its Round 3 programme to install a massive 32GW-plus of capacity. Development of offshore windfarms is proceeding apace in many countries, particularly in Europe, and China and the US are not far behind.