Jack-up automation
The new ‘Wind Server’ Wind Turbine Service Jack-Up Vessel was delivered to owner DBB Jack-Up Services in December 2014, with a full complement of Kongsberg Maritime control and automation technology on board.
Built at Nordic Yards in Wismar, Germany, Wind Server went into operation maintaining offshore wind turbines throughout Northern Europe in February 2015.
Wind Server’s ‘Full Picture’ technology solution covers navigation, automation and manoeuvring systems, and is designed to support safety and efficiency during complex offshore maintenance operations. The integration of Kongsberg Maritime’s unique network Radar solution with the K-Master aft bridge, K-Chief Alarm Monitoring & Control System, K-Bridge Integrated Navigation System and K-Pos DP-22 Dynamic Positioning based on DNV DYNPOS AUTRO (DP II) and K-Thrust thruster control, makes Wind Server, according to Kongsberg, ‘one of the most advanced Jack-Up service vessels in the world’.
All key systems are accessible through Kongsberg Maritime’s K-Master system, a dual redundant, seated aft and forward bridge solution, which will act as the control centre for vessel navigation and manoeuvring in addition to jack-up operations. The K-Bridge ‘Composite Picture’ Radar CP360 is a key part of the delivery, demonstrating a unique digital, networked approach that enables the combining of radar images from multiple radar transceivers to provide a more complete 360 degree picture.
“The Kongsberg Maritime technology delivered for Wind Server matches the advanced vessel design and other hardware on board, which come together to meet the current requirements of the offshore wind market,” said Sebastian Jobs, Manager Sales & Projects at Kongsberg Maritime Hamburg. “We’re delighted to have been chosen to develop this high-end technology package for Wind Server and confident that the benefits of fully integrated control and automation systems will be clear as the vessel starts wind turbine maintenance operations.”
By Jake Frith
