First US wind turbine installation vessel to feature Kongsberg tech

Keppel AmFELS has awarded Kongsberg Maritime with a contract to provide its technology for the first Jones Act compliant wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) for the U.S. offshore wind sector.

The agreement will see Kongsberg supply a comprehensive technology package for the new WTIV which is being constructed at Keppel AmFELS’ Brownsville shipyard in Texas.

The company will provide its integrated solution for WTIVs, which combines motion control, propulsion and dynamic positioning functionalities, as well as thrusters with power supplied by six Bergen diesel engines.

Mooring and line handling will be facilitated by a comprehensive Kongsberg deck machinery package.

According to Kongsberg, monitoring and control of the components will be managed by a K-Chief 700 marine automation system, and the delivery also includes a large telecommunications package. The electrical system will use KM’s Energy Solutions.

Dominion Energy’s 472-foot WTIV, designed by GustoMSC, will be equipped to handle all current turbine technologies, as well as next-generation turbines with a capacity of 12 MW and more.

The jack-up will accommodate up to 119 people, will have a 2,200-t main crane, and an 11,500t carrying capacity. It is expected to be available to support turbine installation by the end of 2023.