Damen Shipyards has unveiled a completely new Wind Farm Service Vessel (WSV) to support and accommodate turbine maintenance crews at sea and allow them to “Walk-to-Work”.
As wind turbines are placed ever further from shore, maintenance crew transfer within one day becomes impractical. After industry-wide consultation, the vessel had to be able to reach an 80% availability target for maintenance crew transfer in wave heights of up to 3 m with a high level of comfort.
The vessel has then been designed from first principles to provide on-site work facilities and accommodation for 45 maintenance personnel plus fifteen crew for voyages of up to one month.
Motion-Compensated Gangway
The dynamically positioned (DP2) WSV will include a telescopic, motion-compensated gangway. This will allow each three-man maintenance team to walk quickly and safely between vessel and turbine.
Main Characteristics WSV
The result is a monohull vessel with bridge and accommodation located amidships. With a 90 m length overall and a beam of 20m, the WSV will feature 500 m2 of deck space, a helideck and a motion and heave compensating crane. Its shallow 4.6 m draft optimises comfort, while also conferring significant power savings.
Designed to drop all seven maintenance crews within three hours, the vessel will remain within range to provide support and emergency assistance through the working day before pick up.
With diesel electric main propulsion, the new WSV will adhere to Damen's "E3" commitment to deliver vessels that are ‘Environmentally-friendly, Efficient in operation and Economically viable’.
Special attention has been paid to interiors and onboard service space lay-out. Public spaces have been mapped for efficient workflows and storage, while sixty single occupancy cabins, a fitness centre and internet/movie services will benefit life at sea.
