BMT Nigel Gee develops new wind farm vessel technologies

Southampton, U.K., based BMT Nigel Gee, a subsidiary of the BMT Group, has announced several technologies designed, among other things, to reduce seasickness among workers traveling to offshore wind farm sites, which it says is “a very real business consideration for wind farm operators.”

BMT has introduced an active motion damping system to a number of its designs. It says the system can reduce motions by more than 50 percent compared to a conventional platform.

BMT has also developed a solution to significantly reduce internal ambient noise levels and eliminate structure borne vibration. This is achieved by incorporating an innovative, resiliently mounted superstructure which does not compromise the design or performance of the vessel and is fully isolated from the hull.

Several of these technologies are currently being incorporated into a new 19 m vessel under construction for Turbine Transfers, the design of which fully complies with the new DNV Wind Farm Service 1 class notation introduced earlier this year.

Through its partnership with Turbine Transfers, BMT is also developing a new Active Fender System (AFS) for use on wind farm support vessels. It requires no hydraulics or electrical power and BMT says that it ensures that, in the event of a heavy docking with the turbine foundation, the loads imparted on both the vessel and the turbine structure are minimized. Potential damage to either can have a significant impact on the future operability of the wind farm.

Ed Dudson, Technical Director at BMT Nigel Gee comments: “Technicians who need to carry out vital maintenance on offshore wind turbines have to contend with extended transit times to and from the shore, therefore high levels of comfort and safety is paramount. Our innovative designs and technologies not only deliver such requirements, but optimize the performance of the vessel in areas such as fuel consumption.”

June 15, 2011