Meriaura increases wind farm involvement

Typical major components of a monopile type offshore wind turbine comprise foundation, transition piece, tower, nacelle and turbine blades, often manufactured at separate locations and transported to ports, where they are either assembled into complete units or transferred to installation vessels for transportation and assembly at the windfarm site.

In an ideal world, components would be manufactured close to suitable ports, something the turbine manufacturing industry is aiming for to reduce costs and address the huge increase in global demand for wind turbines, both onshore and offshore. Meantime, there will be a continuing demand for component transportation by traditional methods, including conventional cargo vessels and towed barges, and it is this market that the Gaiamare newbuilding will cater for.

While Meriaura’s fleet includes fourteen conventional cargo vessels, its newbuilding is similar to another deck cargo vessel it owns, the m/s Aura. Currently under construction at STX Finland Turku, the new vessel, due for delivery in April 2012, is to be named m/s Aura and Finnish flagged. It is described as a multifunctional and offshore deck carrier and is configured with the accommodation forward and a flat open afterdeck. The m/s Aura has previously been involved in project cargo transportation for the offshore wind industry, including monopile foundations and transition pieces. The vessel’s configuration is particularly suited for supplying components direct to installation vessels on site, a principle being replicated with the high specification m/s Aura II.

With a LOA of 105.4m and breadth of 18.8m the m/s Aura II will be a double acting ship, designed to run ahead in open water and astern in ice, making it independent of icebreaker assistance while at the same time allowing better open water performance than traditional icebreaking vessels. A diesel electric machinery arrangement comprising three 1,200kW Wärtsilä 6L20 main engines will provide power to two 1,400kW Schottel SRP 2020 FPP rudderpropellers and two 450kW Schottel CPP bow thrusters, all providing suitable manoeuvrability to satisfy DP1 notation. An oil spill response capability is also included, with an oil recovery capacity of 2,700m3.

Meriaura also have another involvement in the offshore wind industry with delivery due early in 2012 of an ice-strengthened, triple aluminium hulled personnel transfer vessel from Mobimar Ltd in Turku. Wind 18 has a LOA of 18m, speed of 20 knots and a passenger capacity of 12 plus two crew. A feature of the vessel is a unique gripping system incorporating gliding and gripping modes for making the connection with the turbine for personnel transfer.

By Peter Barker