MPI Offshore’s new generation of offshore wind turbine installation vessels are expanding the envelope of the renewables industry, taking it into deeper water and harsher environments. With a new generation of offshore windfarms under construction in more remote locations and harsher environments, MPI Offshore has started operating two new advanced wind turbine installation vessels.
These specialised vessels – MPI Adventure and MPI Discovery – were designed by GustoMSC and built at the Cosco Qidong and Cosco Nantong shipyards in China. They can operate in deeper waters and harsher sea and weather conditions than the previous generation of windfarm construction vessels, increasing the operational envelope of the offshore renewables industry.
In recognition of the investment and operation of two of the world’s most sophisticated windfarm construction vessels, MPI was the inaugural winner of OSJ’s Offshore Renewables award. In response, MPI Managing Director Peter Robinson said, “We are delighted to be recognised with this award. It is testament to the exceptional performance and capability of our vessels and further strengthens our position as the world leader. The team at MPI Offshore are immensely proud of our achievements.”
The first of these vessels, MPI Adventure, was delivered to MPI in March 2011 and is in service on the world’s largest offshore windfarm project to date, London Array in the Thames Estuary. MPI Discovery was delivered from the Qidong shipyard in October 2011 and is also engaged in the construction of London Array before working for E.ON under a six-year charter commencing early 2013.
The vessels are designed to transport, lift and install wind turbines and their foundations in deeper waters than ever before. MPI Offshore claims that they are “the world’s most advanced and most efficient wind turbine installation vessels,” in terms of jacking speed, deck space, lifting capacity and positioning capabilities (DP2).
The enhanced vessel characteristics have been achieved without losing the original concept of a unique combination of tested technologies, pioneered by MPI on its first wind turbine installation vessel, MPI Resolution.
The experience gained from operating MPI Resolution in the offshore wind turbine installation market since 2003 has proved vital in implementing these enhancements, said MPI’s chairman Paul Gibson , speaking at the time that MPI Discovery was handed over. “This truly is a proud time for all at MPI, Vroon and the Cosco Shipyard, plus the many other parties who have worked tirelessly for the last three years to bring about the delivery of such an impressive piece of engineering.
“I have no doubt that, once in service on London Array, MPI Discovery will soon demonstrate that she really is a class act. She is a welcome addition to the MPI fleet and will serve to consolidate our position as a world leader in the construction of offshore wind installations.”
Key features on the two vessels include the 1,000-tonne capacity main crane, plus a 50-tonne capacity auxiliary crane, accommodation capacity for 112 persons, and an ability to jack up with 6,000 tonnes of cargo onboard. They have a maximum operation depth of 40m (at 5m leg penetration and a 7.8m air gap) which means they could be used to install wind turbines on the UK’s third round offshore windfarm projects.
E.ON will use MPI Discovery on London Array in conjunction with MPI Adventure to improve installation efficiency and time, said the energy company’s European Managing Director Michael Lewis . “Reducing the costs of offshore wind power is a key priority for E.ON, and chartering a high-quality purpose built vessel on a long-term basis is a key part of our strategy. We believe MPI Discovery is the best vessel on the market today and it will play a key role in enabling us to construct our offshore projects both faster and more cost effectively,” he added.
E.ON has a 4,000MW offshore wind pipeline and already operates five offshore wind farms with almost 500MW of installed capacity. In 2010, 40 per cent of all offshore wind turbines in Europe were installed by E.ON.
MPI beat other innovative organisations to the OSJ Renewables Award. Renewable UK was nominated for the role it has played championing the offshore windfarm sector, and The Carbon Trust for the Offshore Wind Accelerator project, which aims to find new, more cost-effective turbine support vessels and offshore access equipment.
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Offshore WIND staff, May 31, 2012; Image: MPI Offshore