Maersk Offshore Wind recently took delivery of Maersk Viridis, a new wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) constructed by Singaporean shipbuilder Seatrium.
Seatrium said the delivery followed the successful completion of sea trial activities and final readiness evaluations at the company's Tuas Boulevard Yard.
The GustoMSC-designed WTIV has a length of 145 metres (476 feet), a moulded beam of 83.2 metres (273 feet), a moulded depth of 11 metres (36 feet), a gross tonnage of 40,460, a deadweight of 17,772, and accommodation for up to 30 personnel. The vessel is self-propelled and can sail at a service speed of 6.75 knots.
The WTIV is fitted with a GustoMSC main crane with a lifting capacity of 1,900 tonnes and a hook height of 180 metres (590 feet). Seatrium said these attributes will allow for the installation of 15MW+ class offshore wind turbines.
The vessel’s feeder-based installation design enhances operational efficiency, enabled by a stabilising system to hold feeder vessels for the transfer of offshore wind components, even in high sea states.
This system improves installation efficiency by extending the operational weather window to ensure that the WTIV can carry out uninterrupted installations, improving operational efficiency and reducing total cost and time of installation. Because fewer port calls needed, the vessel can remain on-site for longer periods.
This feeder-based installation solution is US Jones Act-compliant and can also be deployed in other regions, though the WTIV will remain registered to Denmark.
According to Maersk, the vessel's installation method will also enable more ports globally to support the offshore wind industry. These will include smaller, shallower marshalling points to ports behind bridges, locks or hurricane gates.
The WTIV also boasts a helicopter deck and a DP2 system that ensures improved station keeping under a range of sea conditions, thus expanding the vessel's weather safety window. Tank capacities are 1,448 cubic metres (318,500 gallons) for fuel oil, 839 cubic metres (185,000 gallons) for freshwater, and 19,603 cubic metres (4.3 million gallons) for ballast water.
Maersk Viridis was built in compliance with American Bureau of Shipping class rules.
| Maersk Viridis | |
|---|---|
| SPECIFICATIONS | |
| Type of vessel: | Wind turbine installation vessel |
| Classification: | American Bureau of Shipping |
| Flag: | Denmark |
| Owner: | Maersk Offshore Wind, Denmark |
| Designer: | GustoMSC, Netherlands |
| Builder: | Seatrium, Singapore |
| Length overall: | 145 metres (476 feet) |
| Beam: | 83.2 metres (273 feet) |
| Depth: | 11 metres (36 feet) |
| Deadweight tonnage: | 17772 |
| Gross tonnage: | 40460 |
| Cruising speed: | 6.75 knots |
| Dynamic positioning: | DP2 |
| Crane: | GustoMSC |
| Other equipment installed: | Helicopter deck |
| Fuel capacity: | 1,448 cubic metres (318,500 gallons) |
| Freshwater capacity: | 839 cubic metres (185,000 gallons) for freshwater |
| Crew: | 30 |