Kongsberg Maritime has unveiled a range of methods designed to transform and industrialise the transportation and installation (T&I) of floating offshore wind turbines.
These new solutions “promise to streamline the entire process”, from anchor and mooring installation through to electrical cable pull-in, ensuring that turbines are ready to be connected to energy grids, and “offer a comprehensive solution” for the floating offshore wind market.
The solutions are part of a broader strategic effort that Kongsberg Maritime has put in to contribute towards the emerging floating offshore wind market, with more initiatives in the works.
Four of the elements highlighted in this new, offshore floating wind approach, are new vessel designs and methodology for anchor and mooring installation, a new approach for towing turbines to site, a new integrated tensioning concept for mooring lines and an innovative cable pull-in system.
Two new vessel concepts, specifically designed for large-scale mooring and installation operations, are a key element in the new novel solutions.
The Floating Wind Installation Vessels (FWIVs) are designed to handle the unique challenges of transport and installation of floating wind turbines, as well as other offshore and subsea structures.
The anchor handling version (UT 7900 FWIV AH) features a triple cross-tensioning winch system capable of tensioning and proof-loading up to three mooring lines simultaneously with significant reduction in bollard pull requirements.
This vessel can pull up to 900 tonnes in a single fall configuration, ensuring efficient and safe anchor handling, with reduced energy consumption.
“This vessel offers a new approach, and because of the high volume and repetitive nature of the operations, we’ve built in additional rope and chain storage.
“The whole point behind this new set-up is that you deploy the rope, while preparing the next one, and do it in a safe environment, which you can’t do on a normal anchor handler,” said Gunnar Thorsen, Senior Vice President of Business Concepts at Kongsberg Maritime.
The subsea construction vessel design concept, (UT 7600 FWIV Subsea), is equipped with advanced systems for handling, storing, and deploying mooring elements, making it ideal for high-volume floating wind installations.