Collaboration on design of OWTIS agreed
Illustration of OWTIS
The OWTIS concept has major advantages over existing assets, not least in its ability to improve offshore safety by necessitating fewer tasks to be performed offshore. It is environmentally friendly - as it has no contact with the seabed – and able to operate in harsh weather and deploy large loads. The OWTIS concept is not limited by water depth and is readily transferable to the oil and gas heavy-lift market.
The purpose-designed OWTIS will be equipped with a 1,500-tonne crane, which when used in conjunction with the patented lift system, will enable fully assembled wind turbines to be installed in one lift onto pre-installed foundations.
W3GM and IHC Merwede are committed to completing the engineering design phase by the end of November 2011. This will allow a vessel to be delivered by the end of 2013, making it available for the 2014 season.
