FEATURE SPONSOR
JACK-UP VESSELS
PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND HANDLING
FROM
ONSHORE TO OFFSHORE
Whilst the evolution of wind power onshore has been constrained by the logistics of transporting via the existing road/rail infrastructure and by the need of mechanical equipment to be present in remote areas of Europe, the size and scale of the Wind Turbine Generators and sub-sea foundations for the offshore wind industry continues to grow – especially when considering the water depths involved in the Round three projects.
INNOVATION
Installation contractors have reacted with a steady innovation in vessel design in order to have the capability to handle these huge components, with monopile foundations that can weigh up to 1,200Te, and can measure up to 80m long. However the supply chain needs to feed these vessels at the quay side for efficient loading and vessel utilisation.
MOBILISATION PORT
The nature of the contracts applied in offshore wind farm installation projects often leads to the WTG manufacturer having to deliver all components to a mobilisation port before the Wind Turbine Installation Vessel (WTIV) is mobilised.
LOGISTICS SEQUENCING
The WTG design and chosen WTIV will dictate the exact sequencing of the logistics required to ensure an efficient ‘just in time’ delivery of the components to the quayside and under the WTIV’s crane hook. The need for this approach is dictated by: the constraint in the number of WTG’s the vessel can carry, the fact whether the WTG has a single or two piece tower, and the complexity of blade pre-assembly in a rotor star configuration vs. single blade elevation assembly at the offshore location.
Obviously the WTIV is to be at the quayside for a minimum amount of time to be efficient. This can be tricky keeping in mind there could be up to 48 separate items to load out on to the vessel whilst simultaneously several items need to be transferred from the vessel to the Quayside, all within 48hrs.
By using SPMT’s modular axles, by applying tried and tested lift plan engineering and by employing experienced rigging crews that have been performing the lifting and handling on board the MPI vessels for the last decade, MPI Offshore is now also able to be involved in project management and performance of onshore logistics for Trianel’s Borkum West Project - mobilising Areva 3.6MW turbines out of the Port of Eemshaven on-board the MPI Adventure.
Whilst the WTG’s do require a rotor star blade installation, the company is performing the handling of the components and the hub/blade assembly onshore on temporary stools and handling frames, employing their own experienced engineers and rigging crews working of the back of the installation of Siemens rotor stars on the Teesside wind farm, which was serviced with the same vessel.
CONTINUITY AND CO-ORDINATION Using the same contractor to perform the onshore logistics and offshore construction processes ensures continuity and co-ordination of work along the critical path, whilst giving the contractor a single point of contact to address all construction activities.
Andrew Duncan MPI Offshore
www.mpi-offshore.com
Click to view more info = Click to view video
www.windenergynetwork.co.uk
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