VESSEL REVIEW | Tiejian Fengdian 2000 – China Railway Construction places turbine installation jackup into service

China Railway Construction Corporation (CRC) has taken delivery of a new self-propelled, self-elevating wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) built by local shipyard Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore Engineering.

Tiejian Fengdian 2000 (铁建风电2000; “Railway Construction Wind Power 2000”) has a length of 136 metres (446 feet), a beam of 53 metres (170 feet), a depth of 10 metres (30 feet), and a service speed of approximately eight knots.

Designed for extreme offshore conditions

A DP2 system, four 2,800kW azimuthing thrusters, three side thrusters, and four 130-metre (430-foot) triangular pile legs (each with a rated lifting capacity of 9,500 tonnes) will help ensure safe and accurate turbine installation at water depths of as much as 80 metres (260 feet) even under challenging sea and wind conditions.

A 2,000-tonne, stern-mounted pile encircling crane that can freely rotate has a maximum lifting height of 165 metres (541 feet) and is capable of installing offshore wind turbines of 20 MW capacity or greater. A smaller auxiliary crane with a 400-tonne lifting capacity is also fitted.

Electric propulsion and significant transport capacity

The turbines and their components are transported via the vessel’s open cargo deck, which has a total area of 5,000 square metres (54,000 square feet).

All-electric propulsion was selected for the WTIV in line with CRC’s target of reduced emissions during turbine transport and installation activities. The vessel is also certified for operation in unlimited navigation areas, allowing for worldwide deployment if needed.

Tiejian Fengdian 2000 will be operated primarily in Chinese offshore waters for turbine installation duties. Design work on the WTIV was undertaken by the China Shipbuilding Group’s 708 Research Institute in compliance with China Classification Society rules while construction was completed within 22 months.