NorWind Installer contracted the design offices Ulstein Sea of Solutions and Ulstein[ds_preview] Idea Equipment Solutions as their partners for a new foundation installation vessel for the offshore wind industry (l.o.a.: 160.3 m, beam: 32.0 m). The vessel is a customized version of the »Deepwater Enabler« design from Ulstein. Different deck layouts, based upon experience from the wind farm »Alpha Ventus«, have been developed for the various installation modes. The vessel features an 800 t heave compensated crane on starboard side, while a pre-piling template can be located on a support structure at the stern. The vessel can carry 4 jackets or at least 24 piles or 12 transition pieces on the aft deck. Another vessel has been developed for tidal turbine installations. Voith Schneider propellers of 3,900 kW each allow a cruising speed of 13 kn.
