Offshore staff
LOS ANGELES – ABS has awarded approval in principle (AIP) to Ned Project Inc. for its hydrogen-ready wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) design.
The NP20000X ULAM design is intended to be Jones Act compliant and able to meet future offshore wind market demands, specifically operations involving 15-20 MW wind turbine installations.
According to ABS, its innovative approach loads monopiles vertically on the 8,000-sq m (86,111-sq ft) deck, eliminating the need to rotate monopiles to the vertical position at sea, increasing efficiency and safety. The design is equipped with a leg encircling heavy cargo crane with a working load of 3,500 metric tons (3,858 tons). It can handle turbines of 240-m (787-ft) rotor diameter and 150-m (492-ft) tower height.
Ned Project Inc. is working with GPZ Energy to develop ULAM WTIV projects for the US market.
Peter Novinsky, spokesperson for GPZ Energy, said: “There is significant potential for growth in the US offshore wind market, and we are confident our WTIV design has the attributes required to deliver this. The scale, power, and handling capacity as well as the innovative way it handles the monopiles means this is perfectly adapted to serve the US industry.”
The design is hydrogen-ready with the engine rooms able to be converted into fuel cell compartments accommodating polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. This makes it possible to rely solely on liquefied hydrogen to meet its energy demands.
09/23/2021
