Maersk Wind Turbine Installation Vessel to Feature NOV’s Equipment

Texas-based NOV has received contracts from Sembcorp Marine Ltd to supply equipment for the offshore wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) the company is building for Maersk Supply Service.

The order will see NOV-BLM supply the rack and pinion jacking systems and the load transfer system while NOV Heavy Lift will deliver the GustoMSC-designed heavy lift crane.

“We are proud to be able to support Maersk in entering the wind installation market. With the growing demand, there is a need for capable installation equipment. This is a great opportunity for our Marine and Construction business unit,” said Nils van Nood, VP of Business Development, Marine and Construction.

The steel-cutting ceremony is set for the fourth quarter of 2022 in Singapore and the vessel is scheduled to be completed in 2025.

Empire Wind, a joint venture between Equinor and BP, has chartered the vessel to install the turbines at the Empire 1 and Empire 2 wind farms offshore New York.

According to NOV, Maersk Supply Service has developed an installation concept that combines a new WTIV design with a patented load transfer system that should enable the safe transfer of cargo.

The vessel is designed to remain in operation while feeder barges and tugboats transport turbine components from the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal to the Empire Wind lease area.

Empire Wind, for which Equinor acquired the lease in 2017 and is developing it in two phases, is located 15-30 miles (24-48 kilometres) southeast of Long Island, in water depths of 65-131 feet (20-40 metres).

The project’s two phases have a total installed capacity of more than 2 GW.

The 816 MW Empire Wind Phase 1 wind farm was selected in New York’s first-ever offshore wind solicitation in 2019 alongside Ørsted and Eversource Energy’s Sunrise Wind project.

At the beginning of last year, New York selected the joint venture as the winner of the state’s second offshore wind solicitation, in which the two partners participated with two projects: the 1,260 MW Empire Wind 2 and the 1,230 MW Beacon Wind 1.

Follow offshoreWIND.biz on: