VESSEL REVIEW | Dianjian Zhiyuan – PowerChina's newest installation jackup boasts significant lifting capacities
Chinese shipbuilder Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries (ZPMC) recently delivered a new wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) to local company Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina).
Dianjian Zhiyuan (电建志远; “Power Construction Zhiyuan”) boasts a variable load capacity of 5,000 tonnes, enabling efficient deep-sea operations and the installation of wind turbines of 16 MW capacity or larger.
As with PowerChina’s other newly delivered crane vessel Dianjian Zhigao, which was also built by ZPMC, the WTIV features fully integrated digital and intelligent systems, a local area network, ship-to-shore communication, satellite TV and 4G signal amplification, as well as a unified gantry system, real-time vessel-shore data synchronisation, a fuel monitoring system, a dynamic vessel tracking system, and an equipment status assessment system.
Dianjian Zhiyuan has a length of 123.95 metres (406.66 feet), a beam of 48 metres (160 feet), a design draught of 6.5 metres (21 feet), and a depth of 9.5 metres (31 feet). The vessel boasts a helicopter deck and four truss-type pile legs each measuring 125 metres (410 feet) long.
Crane arrangement guaranteeing flexible loading
The crane vessel was built as a fully electric platform that meets IMO Tier III NOx emissions standards and can be used in waters up to 70 meters (230 feet) deep.
Its 1,600-tonne main slewing crane, which is tailored for the installation of wind turbines and offshore equipment, is equipped with a custom-built 150-metre (490-foot) boom that allows for a hook height of 160 metres (520 feet) above the deck and a total lifting range of 190 metres (620 feet), significantly expanding the range of applications and installation height for wind turbines.
A 350-tonne auxiliary crane is also fitted for less demanding lifting work.
Built for safe operation even under challenging offshore conditions
The lifting system of the platform consists of 120 lifting units with inverter motors developed by ZPMC. The lifting system has a nominal load capacity of 250 tonnes and a storm load of up to 646 tonnes, thus ensuring high levels of safety, stability, and lightweight construction efficiency. Lifting and lowering of the platform can be accomplished at a speed of nearly one metre (3.3 feet) per minute.
PowerChina said that the vessel can install an offshore wind turbine within two to three days, which is around 30 per cent faster than what was possible with earlier generations of crane vessels. The vessel was also built to be capable of withstanding wave heights of up to 12 metres (39 feet), ensuring safe operation under a broad range of weather conditions.
