ULSTEIN Alfa Lift design
Norway-based Offshore Heavy Transport is set to enter the offshore renewables market with a state-of-the-art heavy lift transport and installation vessel that combines semi-submersible capability with high-capacity crane operations.
The ULSTEIN Alfa Lift design is developed by Dutch design company Ulstein Design & Solutions BV (UDSBV) in close cooperation with OHT.
The patent-pending design combines the benefits of semi-submersible transport with a large, 3,000 mt lifting capacity main crane from Liebherr.
A unique feature of the dynamically-positioned, 48,000 DWT vessel will be its ability to perform heavy lift crane operations with the main deck submerged.
The vessel is purpose-built to transport and install up to ten 1,500 metric ton wind turbine jacket foundations or eleven 2,000t monopiles, plus transition pieces, supporting the installation of the world’s largest wind turbines.
The first vessel will be constructed by China Merchant Heavy Industry (CMHI) and available for construction and installation activities from early 2021. OHT has options for up to 3 additional units.
“We started the development of the ULSTEIN Alfa Lift idea back in 2015 with the driver to increase the safety of submerged operations and at the same time increasing the operability window for subsea installations using a crane,” says Edwin van Leeuwen, managing director at Ulstein Design & Solutions BV.
“It is great to work with such capable people. When we approached Ulstein with our intended strategy to enter the offshore renewables market and the idea of adding crane capacity to a semi-submersible heavy lift transport vessel, UDSBV presented their Alfa Lift solution on the spot,” comments Torgeir E. Ramstad, CEO at OHT. ‘That was a direct ‘hit’, as it allows us to enter the installation market, at the same time expanding on our capabilities in OHT’s core market.”
OHT’s fleet currently consists of five traditional semi-submersible heavy lift vessels.
Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.
Join the 109,448 members that receive our newsletter.
Have a news tip? Let us know.
The Biden administration continues to advance offshore wind development with its approval of the SouthCoast Wind Project, marking the nation’s 11th commercial-scale offshore wind initiative. This latest approval brings the...
By Jennifer A. Dlouhy Dec 20, 2024 (Bloomberg) –The Interior Department approved the 2.4-gigawatt SouthCoast Wind farm planned near the Massachusetts coast, marking likely the last offshore energy project of its kind to...
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has confirmed competitive interest in two offshore wind areas (WEAs) off the southeast Texas coast, following an unsolicited lease request from Hecate Energy...
Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 109,448 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
