Ned Project Inc. has received ABS’s Approval in Principle (AiP) for its hydrogen-ready wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) design.
Ned Project Inc. is collaborating with GPZ Energy on WTIV projects for the US market, and its NP20000X ULAM design is Jones Act-compliant. It’s also built to satisfy the needs of the offshore wind sector in the future, notably operations involving wind turbines with a capacity of 15-20 megawatts. Its revolutionary approach loads monopiles vertically on the 8,000 square-meter deck, removing the need to rotate monopiles to the vertical position at sea, resulting in increased efficiency and safety.
The design includes a leg-encircling heavy cargo crane with a working load of 3,500 metric tons that can handle turbines with rotor diameters of 240 meters and tower heights of 150 meters.
The engine rooms of the hydrogen-ready WTIV are designed to be changed into fuel cell compartments that may accommodate polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells, allowing it to run entirely on liquid hydrogen (LH2).
“The offshore wind market in the United States has considerable growth potential, and we are certain that our WTIV design has the features necessary to achieve this. GPZ Energy spokesperson Peter Novinsky said, “The scale, power, and handling capacity, as well as the revolutionary method it manages the monopiles, means this is well adapted to service the US sector.”
“ABS is the appropriate partner for a highly specialized wind turbine installation vessel like this,” said Greg Lennon, ABS vice president, offshore wind. “We are particularly suited to support this project and a range of other innovative vessels presently being commissioned to satisfy the expanding international demand for renewable energy because of our strong knowledge of US regulations mixed with our global offshore sector expertise. ABS is dedicated to ensuring the safe development of the offshore wind industry in the United States.”
