MacArtney Equips Freja for Offshore Wind Ops

Following the recent launch of a new drill ship Freja in Denmark, MacArtney informed that it had provided a turnkey solution for the vessel, enabling the execution of advanced geotechnical drilling techniques and site investigations in water depths of up to 60m.

In addition to project management, mechanical design and engineering, as well as installation and commissioning, the scope of supply of the company’s turnkey solution includes the 100t AHC drilling platform, four winches, the integrated control system and a spare package comprising, among others, three spare winches. The main purpose of this system is within offshore wind projects, MacArtney said.

The multipurpose drill ship, launched earlier this month by Danish engineering consultancy Geo and shipping company NCT Offshore, integrates a high-performance active heave compensated (AHC) drilling platform, with the drilling setup on board the vessel designed to provide enhanced drilling conditions even in rough seas.

A customised, motion-compensated working platform of 10x7m is situated amidships, meaning that the working deck remains stationary while the vessel follows the movements of the waves, according to MacArtney. Furthermore, the platform design includes a roll function compensating for the vessel rolls by +/- 7 degrees. The  active heave compensation is achieved by four fast reacting, high performance winches mounted on the corner pillars supporting the entire platform.

The winches are controlled by an integrated control system, which ensures that the complete platform is synchronised with the vessel dynamic positioning control system. This enables drilling methods which ensure higher sample quality than that usually achieved carrying out traditional drill ship procedures. This way, the operation remains less dependent on the weather conditions.

“We are extremely happy to be part of this project and in a position to supply such a leading-edge system solution enhancing our customer’s drilling methods to the benefit of all,” said Søren Hartvigsen, Technical Director of MacArtney Manufacturing.