Kongsberg Maritime has introduced a suite of new methods aimed at transforming and industrialising the transportation and installation (T&I) of floating offshore wind turbines. The solutions, designed to streamline the entire process from anchor and mooring installation to electrical cable pull-in, are set to make floating wind turbines ready for grid connection, offering a comprehensive approach for the growing floating offshore wind market.
As part of its broader strategy to support the emerging floating wind sector, Kongsberg Maritime has outlined several new initiatives. Four key elements of this new approach include innovative vessel designs, novel methodologies for anchor and mooring installation, a new towing strategy for turbines, an integrated tensioning concept for mooring lines, and a cutting-edge cable pull-in system.
Two new vessel designs specifically cater to large-scale mooring and installation operations. The Floating Wind Installation Vessels (FWIVs) are built to address the unique challenges of transporting and installing floating wind turbines, as well as other offshore and subsea structures.
One of these vessels, the anchor handling version (UT 7900 FWIV AH), is equipped with a triple cross-tensioning winch system, which can tension and proof-load up to three mooring lines simultaneously, significantly reducing bollard pull requirements. This vessel is capable of pulling up to 900 tonnes in a single fall configuration, ensuring efficient and safe anchor handling with reduced energy consumption.
Gunnar Thorsen, Senior Vice President of Business Concepts at Kongsberg Maritime, explained, “This vessel offers a new approach, and because of the high volume and repetitive nature of the operations, we've built in additional rope and chain storage. The whole point behind this new set-up is that you deploy the rope, while preparing the next one, and do it in a safe environment, which you can't do on a normal anchor handler.”
Additionally, Kongsberg Maritime has introduced the subsea construction vessel design concept (UT 7600 FWIV Subsea), which is equipped with advanced systems for handling, storing, and deploying mooring elements. This design is particularly suited for high-volume floating wind installations, further enhancing efficiency in the sector.
These innovations form part of Kongsberg Maritime's ongoing commitment to shaping the future of the floating offshore wind industry.
