It is an ultra large ship that can carry and install twelve 3.6MW generators simultaneously.
Having successfully built the world’s largest ship for installing offshore wind power generators named ‘Pacific Orca’, Samsung Heavy Industries delivered it to SPO, the shipowner in Singapore.
The ship for installing offshore wind power generation generator is a new type of special ship whose demand is expected to increase in line with the trend that wind power generation market is moving from land to sea.
The total capacity of electric power generated by offshore wind power plants across the world is expected to soar from the current 3.5GW (one thousand 3.5MW generators) by about 70 times to 239GW in 2030.
Anticipating rapid increase in demand for ships for constructing offshore wind power generation plants, the shipbuilding industry has been concentrating efforts on developing needed technologies.
Having obtained its order in July 2010, Samsung Heavy Industries built the world’s largest ship for installing offshore wind power generation plants with size of 161 meters in length, 49 meters in width and 10.4 meters in height. It can carry and install twelve 3.6MW wind power generators simultaneously.
Boasting superior specifications to existing ships, it also can install wind power generators in the ocean up to 60 meters deep as well as ultra large wind power generators with capacity of over 10MW, which are under development.
In general, ships for installing offshore wind power generators conduct installation works under minimized effect of tide and wave by floating the ship after fixing it on the sea floor with jack-up legs installed in the ship.
The ship built by Samsung Heavy Industries can float its body to up to 17 meters above water using 6 legs, and install generator tower, generator room and wings using a 1,200-ton crane in the ship.
Particularly, it is designed to install wind power generators even in unfavorable environment with strong wind of 20 meters per second and high waves of 2.5 meters.
President Noh In-sik of Samsung Heavy Industries said, “With successful construction of the world’s largest ship for installing offshore wind power generators, the company has secured competitiveness in winning orders. We also expect synergy between Samsung Heavy Industries’ shipbuilding business and renewable energy business of wind power generation.”
Source: e2news
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