Today, the Port of Esbjerg is hosting Siemens Wind Power’s official presentation of its first customised “roll on/roll off ” (RoRo) transport vessel, Rotra Vente.
“We look forward to seeing the vessels frequently at the Port, where we are currently building two new RoRo ramps and expanding our piers to accommodate even more vessels,” the Port of Esbjerg said via social media.
The 141-meter long vessel can carry multiple 8MW nacelles per trip and will connect Siemens’ coming manufacturing site in Cuxhaven, Germany with installation harbours in the North and Baltic Seas.
Michael Hannibal , CEO Offshore of Siemens Wind Power, said: “With our new Ro-Ro transport vessel Rotra Vente, we are stepping into a new era of cost efficient offshore wind logistics.”
Rotra Vente’s sister ship, Rotra Mare – a transporter for towers and blades – is already under construction. This vessel will accommodate up to 12 wind turbine rotor blades and transport them from Siemens’ production facilities in Hull, England or Aalborg, Denmark to the respective installation harbour. Rotra Mare is expected to be delivered in the first quarter of 2017.
“When our new factories in Hull, England and Cuxhaven, Germany become fully operational, and both Ro-Ro vessels are in service as interconnection of our manufacturing and installation network, we expect savings of 15-20 percent in logistics costs compared to current transport procedures. This is another important contributor reducing the cost of electricity from offshore wind,” Hannibal said.