A2Sea orders turbine installation vessel

Denmark-based offshore wind turbine installation specialist A2Sea has contracted Chinese company COSCO Shipyard Group for the construction of a new vessel designed for installing offshore wind turbines.

The US$ 139 million vessel, to be named Sea Installer, is scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2012. It will be a jack-up type designed to operate at water depths up to 45 metres.

"An increasing number of offshore wind projects in the near future will lead to even higher demands for installation vessels than already seen today. With a new state of the art vessel, A2Sea will be able to meet our customers' future demands and hold on to our position as the leading supplier of installation services," said Jens Frederik Hansen, A2Sea CEO.

Reducing the installation time is a primary objective in making offshore wind farms more viable. Sea Installer will carry eight to ten wind turbines at a time, more than the currently available capacity, according to A2Sea.