Jack-up vessel ensures safe lifting at offshore wind farm

Tasks on the wind farm included the welding of large steel structures on deck to elevate and support the nacelles for the planned transatlantic voyage. Brave Tern is now en route to St. Nazaire, France, where the 5GE Renewable Energy’s Haliade 150-6MW nacelles will be waiting to load onto the vessel. After load-out the vessel will transit across the Atlantic to install the turbines at Block Island Wind Farm before returning to Europe.

Wind lidar, ZephIR 300, is installed on the Brave Tern during the Block Island Wind Farm project to complement the onboard technology with delivery of real time accurate wind information to the crew. ZephIR 300 wind lidars deliver real time wind information, remotely from ten metres above the installed location up to 200m. Used in all stages of wind farm development and other meteorological applications such as offshore platforms (both fixed and floating), ZephIR 300 is also being used here through the construction phase to assist crane operations and safe lifting. Enhanced understanding of suitable weather windows for craning operations will enable craning operations to be optimised, leading to more efficient and cost effective offshore construction operations.

The data, presented as a wind shear profile including wind speed and wind direction, is directly accessible via a User Interface from a display screen accessible to the client.