VESSEL REVIEW | Huaxia Jinzu Shenda 01 – Wind installation platform with 1,200-tonne lifting capacity

China’s Wuhan Marine Machinery Plant, a company under China State Shipbuilding Corporation, has delivered a new DP-capable platform optimised for installation works in support of the domestic offshore wind industry.

Named Huaxia Jinzu Shenda 01 (“Huaxia Financial Leasing 01”), the vessel is the first in a series of two installation platforms ordered by Chinese company Huaxia Financial Leasing.

The non-self-propelled, self-elevating vessel has a length of 106 metres, a beam of 44.2 metres, and a draught of 3.8 metres. A heavy-duty crane boasts a full 360 degrees of rotation, a lifting height of 150 metres above the main deck, and a lifting capacity of 1,200 tonnes, allowing the installation of 16MW wind turbines and their associated components.

A smaller 300-tonne crane is also fitted for smaller components. Installation works can be carried out in water depths of as much as 60 metres thanks to the platform’s four 110-metre-long piling legs.

Design and construction of Huaxia Jinzu Shenda 01 and sister platform Huaxia Jinzu Shenda 02 were done in compliance to China Classification Society rules. The vessels will initially be deployed for installation work at the Liuao offshore wind farm off Fujian province on behalf of China Railway Bridge Bureau Shanghai Engineering. According to Huaxia Financial Leasing, this will be one of the first offshore wind developments in the country wherein 16MW wind turbines will be installed.

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