Knud E. Hansen Unveils New WTIV Class for 14 MW Turbines

Knud E. Hnsen has presented a new wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) design in its Atlas series, which can carry four 14 MW wind turbines.

The Atlas A-class WTIV is specifically dimensioned for transporting and assembling wind turbines on top of pre-installed foundations.

The foundations, which are heavy but do not require jacking, can be efficiently installed from a heavy-lift vessel. As a result, the Atlas A-class can be entirely optimised for the jacking operation, with a crane with a lifting capacity of between 1,600 and 2,500 tonnes and minimal system weight for the jacking equipment, the company said.

The A-class design can be customised just like the company’s other vessels in the Atlas series, according to Knud E. Hansen. This includes selecting cranes, thrusters, generators and jacking systems according to specific requirements.

The vessel is powered by eight generators connected to a DC grid and a battery pack, allowing the engines to run at variable speed for fuel efficiency while also utilising load leveling and peak shaving.

The batteries also make it possible to recover approximately 60 per cent of the energy used for jacking, when the jacking units are reversed on the way down, according to the vessel designer.

The company presented its A-class Atlas series after unveiling the C-class series in December 2020, when Knud E. Hansen said its C-class wind turbine installation vessel was currently the only WTIV capable of carrying six 14-16 MW wind turbines and at least five of the next generation 20+ MW turbines.