Broad scope of Wärtsilä solutions for wind turbine installation vessel

Wärtsilä will supply an integrated propulsion and dynamic positioning thruster solution for a wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV).

The ship is being built at the China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu) Co yard for Norwegian heavy transport and WTG installation contractor OHT ASA, and is the first of two next-generation WTIVs to be added to the OHT fleet.

The Wärtsilä scope includes four Wärtsilä 32 and two Wärtsilä 20 engines, the Wärtsilä NOx reducer (NOR) system, five steerable thrusters and one Wärtsilä tunnel thruster. Delivery to the yard will take place during the first half of 2022. The ship is expected to be delivered during the second quarter of 2023.

The GustoMSC NG-14000XL-G design jack-up vessel is customized for offshore wind turbine installation and XL monopile foundations. The vessel will feature a telescopic crane with a maximum capacity of 2500 t and a maximum lifting height of approximately 165 m. The compact design of the Wärtsilä thrusters is an important benefit since the weight of all onboard equipment can be critical for a jack-up vessel. The lightweight Wärtsilä thruster package meets this requirement while delivering excellent station-keeping capability.

“There is rapid growth in demand for the installation of offshore wind turbines, and the vessels designed to carry out this construction work need to be state-of-the-art. The same applies to the propulsion solutions because reliable and efficient dynamic positioning is essential in all sea conditions. The full scope of Wärtsilä solutions will provide the operational and environmental performance demanded for the next-generation market,” said Torben Mikkelsen, OHT’s Newbuild Project Manager.

“The aim is always to provide optimal propulsion performance for efficient vessel operations, and the advanced range of Wärtsilä solutions selected for this ship will do just that. By enabling efficient free sailing and outstanding dynamic positioning, we are at the same time contributing to the decarbonization of shipping,” said Dirk Folchert, Senior Sales Manager, Wärtsilä Marine Power.

Effective station-keeping is enhanced by the thrusters retractable system, which has an energy-efficient 8-degree tilting feature, the company said. This reduces the power need and, therefore, also fuel consumption. The thrusters also deliver thrust that can be up to 23% more effective than non-tilted units. The Wärtsilä steerable thrusters feature a modern electric steering system to provide higher redundancy, reliability, and a lower lifecycle cost, the company said.