State-of-the-art foundation installation vessel for future wind farms
The growth potential for offshore wind energy and the race towards net-zero emissions are major accelerators when it comes to the installation of renewable energy sources. Wind turbines are constantly evolving, and capacities of over 15 megawatts (MW) are likely to be no exception within just five years.
But when wind turbines and capacities are continuously growing, the capacity of current foundation installation vessels may be a limiting factor in the near future. Responding to the demand for larger capacities, Vuyk Engineering Rotterdam presents the new foundation installation vessel (FIV) ‘VERticale’.
Simpler and safe offshore installation methods
“VERticale is developed for an optimized deck layout”, states Kuno van den Berg, Department Manager Operational Engineering at Vuyk Engineering Rotterdam. “The location of the offshore crane, motion compensated gripper and position of monopiles are all finetuned for efficiency. Compared to other vessels and concepts for future foundation installation, VERticale aims for a minimum number of offshore handling operations. Not only loading and seafastening is done in a controlled port environment, also upending. This results in less motion sensitive operations offshore and therefore lower risk and increased weather window for the actual monopile installation. Thus, operating expenses (OPEX) are reduced”.
The transport layout with vertical positioned monopiles results in a relatively compact vessel of 218 x 70 meters. For monopile or jacket installation, VERticale is outfitted with a 5000 tonnes offshore crane with sufficient lifting height and overturning moment capacity.
CAPEX minimization
“The challenge was to find a balance between vessel capabilities for installing future wind turbine generator foundations, with a clear focus on capital expenditure (CAPEX) minimization combined with the same or lower OPEX”, explains Nicky Mayenburg, Technical Sales Manager. “Other solutions and concepts have been studied, but most result in larger vessel dimensions and more complex handling operations when the vessel is offshore. The VERticale setup results in a balanced solution for installing future wind farms”.
Vuyk Engineering Rotterdam
The VERticale concept and our vision for the future of offshore wind come from our continuous evolving experience in offshore wind installation and combines proven technology with mind-blowing simplicity. Vuyk Engineering Rotterdam provides integrated design and engineering packages for leading shipbuilders and maritime players around the globe. We are mostly known for high-tech performance and tailor-made vessel designs and conversions, as well as equipment design and operational engineering. The combined expertise in these areas enables us to fully understand maritime operations and requirements. VERticale is a simple, safe and efficient installation tool for the offshore wind market.
Technical Specifications VERticale:
- Design: Vuyk Engineering Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Length over all: 218.00 m
- Breadth moulded: 70.00 m
- Free deck area: 10,500 m²
- Crane capacity: 5,000 mt @ 50 m outreach