Two wind farm support vessels (WFSVs) are currently being built for the Akita Noshiro project, the first large-scale offshore wind farm in Japan established on a commercial basis.
The two 27m WFSVs, designed by BMT, are being constructed by Cheoy Lee Shipyards at its Hin Lee (Zhuhai) Shipyard facility.
The first vessel is set to be launched in December this year, with the delivery to the operator in early 2021.
BMT said it undertook metocean data studies which enabled the vessel design to be tailored to the local conditions, making sure the maneuverability, performance and redundancy are optimum for the operational environment.
“As the first utility-scale offshore wind project in Japan, BMT are pleased to secure this vessel design order and to support Akita Offshore Wind Corporation (“AOW”) in the development and operation of the Akita Noshiro Offshore Wind Farm Project,” said James Lewis , BMT Specialised Ship Design sector lead for Offshore Energy.
Fitted with BMT’s Active Fender System, the WFSVs are capable of carrying 15 persons.
The new vessel is powered by four engines, will travel at up to 25 knots, and have a deadweight capacity of 30t to meet O&M requirements for turbines.
Akita Noshiro is being developed by Akita Offshore Wind Corporation, a special purpose company set up by a consortium led by Marubeni.
The 140 MW project will comprise 33 Vestas V117-4.2MW typhoon variant turbines. Commercial operations are scheduled to begin in 2022/2023.