Australia's Windthrust has revealed what it hopes will be a revolutionary design for the growing wind warm installation market.
The subsidiary of National Ports Corp said its "floating port" installation ship, Oceandock LX, has 60,000 square metres of deck space, two 2,600-tonne-capacity cranes and another of 6,000 tonnes, which can lift a substation in one go.
Design images supplied by the company show a ship that appears to be three hulls joined together.
No cost has been revealed, but the latest wind turbine installation vessels involve a bill of up to $300m.
The ship will be able to install both foundations and turbines, Windthrust said.
The company added it has been working closely with offshore wind farm market leaders from Northern Europe to identify the key factors and requirements for a more cost-effective, faster and lower-risk process.
"The next generation of wind turbines will be larger and heavier in order to keep up with the rapid increase in global demand for renewables," said National Ports managing director Marco Lucido.
"This will require far larger vessels that can offer heavier lifting capacity and increased deck space."
Unsuitable vessels
Lucido said the current fleet is not fit for purpose.
"Currently, it can take four or more vessels to install the different components of a wind farm. We saw that logistical inefficiency as a major opportunity," he added.
Oceandock LX also has 700,000 cbm of underdeck area. Its capacity means components can be delivered directly and warehoused.
