Fred. Olsen 1848 and Huisman have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a Floating Maintenance Solution that aims to solve the challenge of major component exchange at a floating wind site, according to the company's release.
Fred. Olsen 1848 has innovated a complete solution and operational procedure for major component exchange for floating wind turbines. To develop the crane required for such operation, Fred. Olsen 1848 turned to Huisman, a company specialised in tailor made lifting solutions. The complete solution enables the exchange of turbine components at the offshore site and further removes the need for dynamic lifts when performing the component exchange offshore, which are both expensive and entails high operational risk.
The Floating Maintenance Solution has already attracted the interest of several large floating offshore wind developers. The development of the solution is now entering a new phase where the next milestone is to conclude a detailed project FEED study with the aim of bringing the solution into operation before the end of this decade.
Features & benefits of the Fred. Olsen 1848 Floating Maintenance Solution
Component exchange carried out on site with no need to disconnect the foundation and tow to port
Positioned on the floating structure, the crane operates with the same motions as the floating foundation
No dynamic lifts required to perform the component exchange
Design agnostic and compatible with most semi-submerged floating structures
No modifications needed on the tower or WTG
Minimal modifications to the floating foundation
Builds on proven technology and market leading competencies of the Fred. Olsen related companies
In-field deployment of the crane can be performed by a regular offshore support vessel
State of the art crane engineered and developed by Huisman featuring:
An expandable main boom and a foldable knuckle boom integrated in a compact self-supporting setup, to be transported safely and efficiently
A unique quick connection system, allowing the crane to be deployed in multiple lightweight modules, and such that it can be quickly deployed on any floating foundation prepared for this setup
An all-electric drive system, resulting in high positioning accuracy, low energy use, reduced maintenance, and high reliability
A dedicated energy storage system, allowing the crane’s power supply to come from the turbine’s auxiliary circuits, yet having sufficient energy available for crane operations