Cosco Shipyard to Construct Specialized Wind Turbine Installation Jack-Up for Denmark's A2SEA

Singapore’s Cosco Corporation Ltd. (F83.SG) said Monday that it has signed a contract valued at more than $150 million to build a specialized jack-up designed specifically for the installation of offshore wind turbines for Denmark’s A2SEA, an installation and service provider for offshore wind farms.

The vessel will be constructed at Cosco’s 51%-owned subsidiary, Cosco Shipyard Group Co. Ltd. of China and is expected to be delivered in 2014.

The order marks the second jack-up vessel Cosco will build for the A2SEA. In 2010, A2SEA contracted with Cosco for the construction of the SEA INSTALLER, a next generation wind turbine installation vessel designed to operate in the more challenging conditions expected as offshore wind farms move further offshore and in deeper water.

A2SEA says the new vessel will be identical to SEA INSTALLER but with a longer crane capable of lifting up to 900 tons, which is 100 tons more than SEA INSTALLER, and will be able to carry between eight to 10 wind turbines and operate at depths of up to 45 meters.

Once completed, the vessel will support upcoming offshore wind projects in the Northern European offshore market

“With the fast growing offshore market in the Northern Europe, we can already today see that the demand for vessels for installation will grow dramatically. With the new installation vessel, we are well prepared to meet that demand and strengthen our position as supplier of installation services,” says Jens Frederik Hansen, CEO, A2SEA.

Vessel Specifics:

â€¢ Length: 132 metres
â€¢ Breadth: 39 metres
â€¢ Draft: 5.8 metres
â€¢ Speed: 12 knots
â€¢ Crane capacity: 900 tonnes
â€¢ Loading area: 3200 sqm.
â€¢ Loading capacity: 5000 tonnes
â€¢ Able to jack-up at water depths of up to 45 metres
â€¢ Capable of carrying eight to ten offshore wind turbines (Towers, nacelles and blades)
â€¢ Able to carry up 60 people (crew and installation personnel)