Meet us at the Indo Pacific  10th to 12th of May where

Location: in the Northern Territory Government booth 3M19 where we will be together with NMIS Northern Maritime Industrial Services

Mr. Ken Goh will present “CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS OF WIND TURBINE INSTALLATION VESSELS”

In this paper the author investigates the current trends in WTIV capability and design to meet the demands of the increasing size OWTs and more efficient construction methodology. The paper covers some of the  unique naval engineering challenges that WTIVs pose to the designer that set this type of vessel apart from others. Finally, how 3D modelling and ShipSpace™ Virtual Reality collaboration tools are being used in the development and operation of the new generation of WTIVs.

Offshore Wind Turbines (OWT) have grown rapidly in size over the last 30 years. The first OWTs were able to generate 1000kW and had a rotor diameter of 30m. The current OWTs are able to generate 12-15MW with a rotor diameter of 220m and even larger 15-20MW OWTs are being developed. This growth trend will probably see some levelling off in the next decade as the limits of materials and economy-of-scale are reached. Currently, almost all OWTs are of the fixed-bottom type. There are various types of foundations used including monopiles, jackets and gravity bases, depending on the water depth and seabed geology.
Offshore windfarms are typically in water depths of up to 70-80m.