Denmark´s Maersk Supply Service, a subsidiary of major A.P. Møller – Mærsk and provider of marine services and project solutions for offshore energy sectors, has entered a collaboration with GustoMSC, a subsidiary of NOV, to design the next generation of wind installation vessel, fit for the growing offshore wind market in Europe.
The new design will build on the same patent and characteristics of the current feeder concept, which was designed to operate in US waters. The design allows the jack-up wind installation vessel to stay on location at the wind park, while only tugs and barges sail back and forth from port to collect the wind turbine tower, nacelle, and blades.
Maersk Supply Service said the concept is cost-competitive and expected to be more than 30% more efficient than conventional jack-up vessels, and less weather dependent, enabling continuous installations year-round.
“Combined, these elements will contribute to improving operational efficiency and lower levelised costs of energy from offshore wind,” the company noted.
“Europe is an attractive market for offshore wind, and we believe that our concept is also suitable for this region. As the Wind Installation Vessel itself does not sail into ports, this can solve some of the bottlenecks we currently see in Europe, where only a few ports are large enough to handle the growing wind turbine sizes,” says the Chief Commercial Officer at Maersk Supply Service, Jonas Munch Agerskov.
The basic design process will start shortly, and expected to be concluded later in 2023.
