July 20 - Blue Water Shipping has assisted French engineering and project management company Sabella with the installation of a D10 tidal turbine on the seabed off Ushant Island, located 30 km offshore Bretagne, France.
Blue Water initially acted as shipbroker for the project and assisted Bourbon Subsea Services with the laying of a cable from Ushant Island to the installation point.
The 410-tonne turbine was then moved into the desired position onboard Combi Lift's heavy lift vessel Palembang, with Blue Water arranging tugboats to hold the ship in place. The turbine was subsequently installed at a water depth of 60 m.
"The current at Ushant Island is torrential, which makes the installing process extremely complex," said Mogens Nielsen, director of Blue Water France. "It is only possible to work during the so-called neap tides - the time periods where the tide is not so strong - which only occurs a few days every month. It was a very tight schedule requiring precise planning and we all worked under pressure."
Before the installation projects, Blue Water also coordinated various logistics and stevedoring activities at the quayside in Brest where the turbine was manufactured.
