Jack-up vessels Brave Tern and Bold Tern will undergo an upgrade which will enable them to handle the latest generation “multi MW” offshore wind turbines, Fred. Olsen Windcarrier informed today.
The upgrade on the two vessels will be carried out within the next 12 months, with Brave Tern being the first to go through the modification, having already arrived at the Franklin Offshore yard in Rotterdam, where Franklin Offshore and SRC Group AS are executing the modification.
“With offshore wind turbines growing in capacity, with a greater weight and larger rotor diameter, and increased hub heights, the vessels will need to be adapted to meet this need,” Even Larsen , Head of Commercial and Projects, said.
The upgrades include extending the jacking legs by 14m, making the legs 92.4m long. The cranes will also be prepared for a boom extension of up to 20m. This will include both an insert piece for the crane boom and an extension of the A-frame. The lifting height will become 120m from the main deck.
With the upgrades in place, the two Tern Class vessels will be capable of transporting four complete “multi MW” turbines with full towers throughout the year in water depths of up to 55m – up to 60m in the summer.