MPI Offshore’s wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV), MPI Resolution, has been contracted by E.ON Climate & Renewables for the first gearbox exchange on the 302MW Amrumbank West offshore wind farm located some 35 kilometers north of the Heligoland in the North Sea.
The scope of work includes the exchange of a single gearbox, accommodation and supporting crane duties.
Works are expected to be completed before the end of November 2016, MPI said.
This contract follows after the finalization of the leg extension works on MPI Resolution which were finished at the company’s Tees Offshore Base in Middlesbrough, UK early November.
The vessel is now capable to operate in water depths of up to 35 metres, depending upon the site-specific data. This represents a gain of up to 7 metres on the previous jacking capabilities of the vessel.
MPI Resolution is the world’s first purpose-built WTIV. Designed to transport, lift, install and decommission components, the vessel features a dynamic-positioning system, a jacking system, 3,200m2 of deck space, accommodation facilities and 600Te lifting capacity.
Amrumbank West comprises 80 Siemens 3.6MW wind turbines, the capacity of which was boosted by additional 14MW overall in December 2015 through a software update.