Two homegrown fourth-generation wind turbine installation vessels, the latest generation in the world, have been delivered in Nantong City of east China’s Jiangsu Province, boasting strong resistance to wind and waves and a 30 percent increase in installation speed compared with the third generation.
With certification for unrestricted navigation, the two vessels, officially known as “Zhi Gao” and “Zhi Yuan”, are the country’s fourth-generation self-propelled vessels dedicated to install offshore wind turbines with significantly enhanced operational flexibility and efficiency.
The delivery marks a significant enhancement in China’s capabilities to develop offshore wind farms.
Compared with the third-generation marine engineering equipment, there has been a qualitative improvement in terms of both technology and performance.
“These two vessels can install one offshore wind turbine in just two to three days, which is a 30 percent increase in installation speed compared with the third-generation wind turbine installation vessel. Furthermore, they can withstand wind forces of level 16 and waves of 12 meters. They are the core equipment driving the large-scale production of offshore wind power and deep sea development,” said Zhang Weifeng, chief engineer of China Ocean Engineering Construction Company, Power Construction Corporation of China. These two vessels are jointly designed to complement each other, forming the optimal combination for China’s marine engineering. They can operate in the sea up to 100 kilometers offshore, providing strong support for the country’s advancement of offshore wind installation.
