A2SEA orders wind turbine installation vessel at COSCO Shipyard Group

Written by Nick Blenkey

a2sea windmill 02 260Denmark’s A2SEA (owned 51 percent by DONG Energy and 49 percent by Siemens Wind Power) has signed a contract with Chinese shibuilder COSCO Shipyard Group Co., Ltd., for the construction of a new jack-up vessel purpose designed for the of installation of offshore wind turbines. The contract has a value of $155 million (approx. DKK 890 million).

In 2010 A2SEA signed a contract with Cosco for a similar vessel, Sea Installer, for offshore installation. The new agreement with COSCO is for a vessel identical to Sea Installer, but with a longer crane able to lift up to 900 tonnes, which is 100 tonnes more than Sea Installer.

Set for delivery in 2014, the new vessel will be a jack-up optimized to operate at water depths of up to 45 meters, and thus well-suited for the installation of upcoming offshore wind projects in the Northern European offshore market.

“With the fast growing offshore market in the Northern Europe, we can already today see that the demand for vessels for installation will grow dramatically. With the new installation vessel, we are well prepared to meet that demand and strengthen our position as supplier of installation services,” says Jens Frederik Hansen, CEO, A2SEA. “With the new vessel we are taking a big step toward continuing to shorten the time of installation and thereby bringing down the cost of energy from offshore wind energy.”

Facts about the new jack-up vessel:

  • Length: 132 m
  • Breadth: 39 m
  • Draft: 5.8 m
  • Speed: 12 knots
  • Crane capacity: 900 tonnes
  • Loading area: 3,200 sq m.
  • Loading capacity: 5000 tonnes
  • Able to jack-up at water depths of up to 45 m
  • Capable of carrying eight to ten offshore wind turbines (towers, nacelles and blades)
  • Able to carry up 60 people (crew and installation personnel)

March 26, 2012

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