Norway-headquartered shipbuilder Ulstein has unveiled a jack-up vessel design that is capable of handling and installing the next generation of offshore wind turbines.
The J102 is part of Ulstein’s X-Jack series and will be able to install eight 8 MW or four 15 MW wind turbines. It will come equipped with a 2,500-tonne lifting capacity main crane with a 160 m hook height.
“We see floating vessels as the preferred solution for foundation installation, where self-propelled jack-ups are the chosen tool for installing wind turbines,” said Ko Stroo, product manager at Ulstein Design & Solutions.
The J102 is 145 m long, 88.4 m wide and features a kite-shaped hull allowing for large leg spacing. Positioning the legs this way in a square pattern results in efficient use of available deck space, while counteracting the crane overturning moments, said Ulstein.
Ulstein added that this design has enabled it to achieve a 10-15 percent weight saving in comparison to jack-up vessels operating today. Furthermore, no ballast water is required during lifting operations as the vessel is naturally balanced.
