Suddenly the news is spreading. The installation market is developing so fast that large floating cranes seem to be the answer to the ever-increasing turbine size in the wind industry. Jack-ups have long been the installation vessel of choice in the offshore wind industry; however we are now seeing various contractors using large offshore floating cranes.
Will Conquest Offshore 1400 crane barge follow them into the deep waters or stay within the very shallow waters? Read on to find out the answer.
Offshore Wind
Renewable energy is becoming more and more important to the global energy market. Within this renewable market, the offshore wind industry is turning into a significant factor and has been experiencing a rapid growth spurt over the last few years.
As turbines get bigger and heavier and foundations get wider and wider, the jack-ups probably won’t be able to provide the solution. At least that seems to be the idea. It looks like the installation market will move from jack-ups to floating assets and DEME’s Orion and Boskalis F-3000 new builds are well underway.
Crane size and capacity
Who would have thought that it would get this big, this fast? What seemed impossible a few years ago has exceeded all expectations. Tat the moment the foundations are installed mostly by jack-ups or floating vessels. The jack-ups have been challenging each other with the setups increasing in size . But what if the foundations become even bigger than the 1500 ton for an XXL monopile, what if we have a 12 megawatt or an even bigger turbine? As offshore wind farms move to deeper waters and foundations grow exponentially, floating installation vessels could become the more efficient and cost effective solution in the future.
