Crane for First US Wind Turbine Installation Vessel on Its Way to Texas

February 24, 2023, by Adrijana Buljan

Stars have aligned today, 24 February, for the first wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) being built in the US as Huisman loaded the vessel’s crane onboard BigLift Shipping’s Happy Star and sent it off to the Lone Star State. In Texas, Huisman’s US team will commission the crane at the Keppel AmFELS shipyard, which is building the WTIV for Dominion Energy.

The WTIV, named Charybdis and designed by GustoMSC, is the first US Jones Act-compliant offshore wind installation vessel and is scheduled to enter into service this year.

Already in 2021, the WTIV secured its first job as Ørsted and Eversource entered into an agreement with Dominion Energy to charter Charybdis for the construction of their Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind offshore wind farms in the US Northeast.

Dominion Energy announced it had selected Huisman to deliver the crane for the WTIV in September 2020, a couple of months before Keppel AmFELS laid the keel for the new vessel at its shipyard in Brownsville, Texas.

Shortly after the keel-laying ceremony, Huisman signed a contract with Keppel AmFELS to deliver the Leg Encircling Crane (LEC) for Charybdis.

Scylla and Charybdis

Back in 2020, Huisman said it would implement the same robust and proven technology used for the LEC for Seajacks’ offshore wind installation vessel Scylla, which is fitted with a 1500-tonne LEC crane.

The crane now delivered for Charybdis is able to lift 2,200 tonnes, has a 130-metre-long boom, and allows for the installation of the new generation of offshore wind turbines, according to the company.

The 2,200-tonne LEC features a fully electrically driven system, resulting in high positioning accuracy, reduced maintenance and higher reliability, Huisman’s specifics of the LEC read.

Furthermore, the crane’s unique Lambda boom has a lightweight and stiff design, with the latter leading to reduced motion at the crane tip.

Huisman also notes that the crane’s small tail swing allows for optimised utilisation of free deck space.