'Windship' Overlooking Rotterdam
On 23rd February 2016, the "Brave Tern", a vessel used for the installation of wind turbines at sea, dominated the Rotterdam skyline. The 132-meter-long ship was jacked up to a height of about seventy meters to test its extended legs.
The Brave Tern, owned by Norwegian Fred. Olsen Windcarrier, is equipped with four so-called jacking legs, which allow the vessel to position itself firmly on the seabed. Recently, the four legs of the Brave Tern were extended by fourteen meters each, reaching a total height of 92.4 meters during tests in Rotterdam. The jacking leg upgrade was carried out by Franklin Offshore Europe in close cooperation with SRC from Estonia.
Additionally, the ship's crane frame and boom were extended by twenty meters, enhancing its lifting capacity to 120 meters above the deck. This modification is crucial as wind turbines are becoming heavier, and rotor blades are growing larger. Furthermore, offshore wind farms are now being installed in deeper waters.
Sister vessel Bold Tern will also receive the same upgrades later this year. With these enhancements, the Brave Tern can now carry four complete "multi-megawatt" turbines, including towers and rotor blades. The vessel can operate in water depths up to sixty meters.
After completing a maintenance job at the North Sea, the Brave Tern will head to the US east coast to assist in the construction of the first US offshore wind farm.
Franklin Offshore Europe in Rotterdam is a world-leading service provider for the offshore industry. The company is part of Singapore-headquartered Franklin Offshore, with offices in Australia, Indonesia, South Korea, Azerbaijan, Qatar, and the USA.
This article was originally published on Marine & Industrial Report newspaper Vol 38 No.2 Issue last April 30,2016.
