RWE Innogy Orders Two Jack-Up Crane Vessels
RWE Innogy has awarded Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. Ltd. (DSME) the contracts for two jack-up crane vessels. As its designer, Wärtsilä – in consortium with IMS Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH – has been engaged to provide the basic design and consultancy services for these vessels, which are to be used for constructing offshore wind farms. Delivery of the vessels – with GL class approval -is scheduled for late 2011.
Tailored specifically for year-round construction of offshore wind farms, the Wärtsilä-IMS advanced jack-up crane vessel is designed to remain operational under harsh Northern European sea and wind conditions. It also sets new standards for reliability and environmentally sound operation. The basic design by Wärtsilä-IMS takes into account the specialised needs involved for the construction of offshore wind farms. The vessels are 100 m long and 40 m wide, and feature an 800-ton crane for transporting and handling the foundations for the latest generation of up to 5MW and 6 MW offshore wind turbines, as well as the turbine towers, nacelles, rotors and blades. The vessels have sufficient deck area and deadweight capacity to carry the components for up to four complete wind turbine units or several foundations. For operation in shallow water, a four-point mooring system is used, while in deeper waters a DP2 dynamic positioning system controlling steerable thrusters is employed.
The vessels are designated to undertake foundation and turbine installation at RWE Innogy’s currently planned wind farms – North Sea East, Innogy North Sea 1 and Gwynt y Môr. RWE Innogy pools the renewable energy expertise and power plants of the RWE Group. The company plans, builds and operates facilities generating power from renewable energies. RWE Innogy aims to vigorously grow renewable energies in Europe. Onshore and offshore wind power projects are a focus of the company’s activities. However, RWE Innogy will also expand biomass and hydroelectric power. The company is also pushing ahead with the development of new technologies for the future. In fact, RWE Innogy plans and operates biogas facilities, wave and tidal power plants as well as solar thermal power plants. In addition, RWE Innogy supports innovative companies in their start-up and growth phase by providing short-term finance.