Offshore contractor A2SEA building third jack-up barge for turbine installation
Offshore wind industry contractor A2SEA is building a third jack-up barge for wind turbine installation in deeper waters. The small Danish firm has specialised in fulfilling the special needs of wind turbine transport, installation and service with its small cargo ships equipped with jack-up legs, which descend to the seabed to anchor the ship in place, and cranes. A2SEA has installed or serviced turbines at three of the world's biggest offshore wind farms: the 160 MW Horns Reef and 165 MW Nysted plants in Denmark, and the 60 MW Scroby Sands project in the UK. Now the company is advertising for four project positions to convert a new ship over the next 14-15 months. The ship must be able to transport more wind turbines at a time-currently A2SEA's ships can take three complete units-and must be able to stand firmly on a seabed in water depths of at least 35 metres, says the company. The new vessel, Sea Installer, will be intended for multipurpose jobs on offshore wind farms, varying from installing or driving different types of wind turbine foundations. The ship must also be able to carry out installation of the turbine's components, assembling foundation, tower, nacelle and blades.