According to Ulstein Design & Solutions, the significant shortage of foundation installation vessels, as projected by market analysts and brokers, calls for immediate action, so to provide for tomorrow’s needs in offshore wind and building on decades of proven track record in heavy lift vessel design, Ulstein has expanded its portfolio with the Ulstein HX122 design.
New foundation installation tonnage is quickly needed, but as stated by Clarksons Platou Securities, this part of the market is “the most under-ordered segment in offshore wind”. The HX122 features an Ulstein X-Bow and an ultra-high-capacity crane, enabling operators and contractors to efficiently transport and install monopiles or jacket foundations up to 5000 ton.
Nick Wessels, Marketing and Sales Manager, Ulstein Design & Solutions, said: “We identified and addressed that issue already some years ago. Based on extensive market studies we developed what we believe is the most efficient solution for the industry; the Ulstein HX118 design. However, the quick developments in this industry create uncertainty with wind farm developers, where we see for some future projects the preference to install even larger foundations up to 5,000t. Hence the need for a larger capacity vessel.
Ko Stroo, Product Manager, Ulstein Design & Solutions, added: “Significant R&D effort has been put into the development of our heavy lift vessel portfolio, working closely with industry partners on mission equipment integration, operability performance and lowering CO2 emissions, creating safer and more efficient installation vessels using proven technologies. The Ulstein HX122 is our latest and largest heavy lift vessel design, allowing contractors to keep pace with the rapid growth of wind turbine foundations.”
The Ulstein HX122 is 230m long and 61.6m wide, with 8000t crane capacity, a deck area of 10,000m2 and a complement of 180 personnel.
