Boskalis_Annual_Report_2016

28

MULTIFUNCTIONAL F3000: COMBINING LIFTING CAPACITY WITH DECK SPACE

The coming years will see a growing number of wind farms being built in deep water. A unique transport and installation crane vessel, due to enter service at the end of 2017, will give Boskalis a valuable asset in this market. The existing Dockwise heavy transport vessel Finesse is currently being converted for this purpose and will be deployed on the Hornsea Project One offshore wind farm project which was acquired in 2016. However, the multifunctional vessel will also be well suited for deployment on oil and gas installation work, decommissioning tasks and wreck removals.

“With this vessel we are anticipating two trends in the market for renewables and offshore projects: demand for lower costs and fast turnaround times. The new vessel checks both these boxes,” said Pim Nelemans, director of Design, Tendering & Engineering at the Boskalis Offshore Energy division. The Finesse will be equipped with a 3,000 ton rotating mast crane, dynamic positioning (DP2), a helicopter deck and additional accommodation for up to 150 people. “The combination of the high lifting capacity with a huge deck area of 165 by 43 meters is unique,” said Nelemans. “Wind farms are being built further and further offshore mainly using jack-up vessels, whose legs have to be positioned on the seabed. However, these vessels are limited to a water depth of several tens of meters, which is exactly why we have opted for this ‘floating’ solution. We expect that this will also allow us to offer a more cost-effective alternative.”