New Offshore Tender for North Sea Wind Farms

(Press Release) February 9, 2012

Voith has teamed with With the SCHRAMM group to develop special vessels to serve the North Sea Wind Farm market. Voith and the SCHRAMM group will pool their vessel design expertise and will jointly develop special vessels for the transfer of staff and material to wind farms in the North and Baltic Seas. In addition to the vessel design, Voith will supply the propulsion systems. The SCHRAMM group contributes all services, from the supervision during the vessel building process up to the vessel management. If service technicians have to enter wind turbines in waves of up to four meters to carry out repair or maintenance work, the Voith Schneider Propeller (VSP) is the ideal propulsion concept for added safety. It ensures that such special vessels can precisely keep their position, even in high seas, and dampens vessel movements.

The specialists of Voith and of the SCHRAMM group have evaluated the seaway data prevalent in the areas of operation. The result of the technical study shows, that a single-hulled vessel with a length of 30 to 35 m is ideally suited to meet the demands of wind farm operators. With a maximum speed of 15 knots, the vessel can serve wind farms close to the shore. Wind farms further offshore can be reached via a supply station. The vessel can carry sufficient supplies to stay at sea for two weeks without having to call at a port. Depending on the customer requirements, 12 to 24 service technicians can be brought to their destination.