Offshore Heavy Transport (OHT) has signed a contract with China Merchants Industry Holdings for the construction of the first of two turbine installation vessels. The Norwegian offshore carrier is creating a pure-play offshore wind company through its subsidiary Vind Offshore.

The vessels, currently referred to as VIND 1&2, will be of GustoMSC NG-14000XL-G design. They will be designed and built specifically to install the future-generations of offshore wind turbines and XL monopiles and will operate with significant reductions in their environmental footprints.

The vessels will be equipped with 2500-tonne telescopic crane with a lifting height of 165 metres and capable of installing turbines in water depths up to 65 metres. According to OHT, the vessels will also be prepared for fuel cells and be equipped with heat recovery, battery hybrid solutions as well as a sophisticated electrical and control system, reducing CO2 emissions by 20 per cent compared to similar units.

Vind Offshore

The new venture is based on a concept and business model initially developed by VIND Offshore Installation AS and its founder Rune Magnus Lundetræ, who has recently joined the OHT board.

The goal is to become a pure-play Transport and Installation company. Together with the foundation installation vessel Alpha Lift, which will be delivered next year, Vind Offshore will be able to offer the full transport and installation scope by also utilizing OHT’s heavy transport deck carriers.

The first turbine installation vessel is scheduled to be delivered in Q2 2023.

This article first appeared on Project Cargo Journal, which is another publication of SWZ|Maritime’s publishing partner Promedia.