Transportation contractor Mar Train has completed a trial lift of the Subhub tidal platform to reduce the risks associated with the load out to the quayside at Harland & Wolff in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The weight of Subhub throughout the build has been controlled in order to achieve the load out requirements which were proven by the Mar Train test lift, the Edinburgh-based engineering consultancy QED Naval informed.
As a result, QED Naval refreshed all their stability models to ensure compliance with load out, transit to site, installation and recovery, and in-service conditions.
Damage conditions and reserve buoyancy have also been considered carefully, according to QED Naval.
The unit will be moved from the fabrication facility early next year, after which the Subhub will be launched for final ballast testing and then towed to site for installation.
“This load out phase of the project demonstrates how a tidal power plant such as Subhub (210kW) can be fully integrated at the quayside and deployed, installed and recovered in a single, quick offshore operation. There are no other moorings to lay, just a single dry mate connection to make to an export cable which is grid compatible,” QED Naval said.
Subhub platform, named Kraken, has been designed to commission, test, transport, install, and secure a mini array of wave and tidal turbines to the seabed.
The platform has been fabricated by the engineering company Cimpina, and the trials will be conducted at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC).