ABB Shanghai delivers Azipods for wind turbine installers

OCTOBER 22, 2012 — ABB recently delivered four Azipod C propulsion systems for the Blue Ocean II wind turbine installation vessel built by Samsung Heavy Industries at its Geoje shipyard in Korea.

Previously, ABB delivered a similar Azipod C package to Samsung for the first Blue Ocean wind turbine installation vessel, delivered by the shipbuilder in September, 2011. Both vessels were built for Singapore based Swire Pacific Offshore Operation (Pte.) Ltd.

ABB says that the compact Azipod C marine propulsion system saves space inside the vessel hull for more efficiency in ship design and equipment placement, and can help reduce vessels’ fuel consumption by 25 percent, while improving their maneuvering capabilities.

The improved maneuverability will help the Blue Ocean vessels operate in a wider range of weather conditiond, providing more flexibility in the transportation and installation of offshore wind foundation materials and turbines of all types and sizes.

The Azipod systems for these projects were delivered from ABB’s new Azipod C factory in Shanghai, China, which was established in 2011 to serve customers in the Asian region.

“The Azipod C factory in Shanghai helps us meet the fast-growing demand of the Chinese shipyards for high-end vessels, at the same time, allowing us to get closer to customers of other key shipbuilding markets like Japan and South Korea,” says Heikki Soljama, global head of ABB’s Marine and Cranes Business Unit.

The Azipod C systems for the Blue Ocean vessels are the first to be delivered from the Shanghai factory for installation outside China.