Wind turbine manufacturer Siemen’s Wind Power has been delivered its new customized wind turbine transport vessel to fulfill its need for cost effective transportation of large wind turbine parts throughout Europe.
Named the Rotra Vente, the 141-meter long vessel is designed to carry multiple 8-megawatt turbine housings (nacelles) per trip from Siemens planned manufacturing site in Cuxhaven, Germany to installation areas in the North and Baltic Seas.
The design of the MV Rotra Vente is based on the existing hull of a containership that is custom-rebuilt to Siemens specifications. The vessel features a large bow door for roll-on/roll-off access to a restructured cargo deck, which is covered by a telescopic roof to protect cargo from salty seawater spray. Since the roof can be opened, cargo can also be loaded and unloaded via cranes at harbors without a Ro-Ro ramp. Siemens says the configuration of the deck allows the vessel to handle up to nine wind tower sections of three to four rotor blade sets at a time.
Construction of the Rotra Vente took place at the Holland Shipyard in Hardinxveld-Giessendam in the Netherlands. A second sister ship is expected to be delivered in spring 2017.
“With our new Ro-Ro transport vessel Rotra Vente, we are stepping into a new era of cost efficient offshore wind logistics,” said. Michael Hannibal, CEO Offshore of Siemens Wind Power. “When our new factories in Hull, England and Cuxhaven, Germany become fully operational, and both Ro-Ro vessels are in service as interconnection of our manufacturing and installation network, we expect savings of 15-20 percent in logistics costs compared to current transport procedures. This is another important contributor reducing the cost of electricity from offshore wind.”
Rotra Vente’s sister ship, designed to transport towers and blades, is currently under construction. It will accommodate up to 12 wind turbine rotor blades and transport them from Siemens’ production facilities in Hull, England or Aalborg, Denmark.
“We are proud to operate Rotra Vente for Siemens, since this vessel marks a new milestone in the close cooperation we have maintained for years,” said Richard Thomsen, Managing Director of deugro, the project freight forwarding division of the deugro Group. “We signed the contract for this innovative logistics concept just one year ago, and we already have one highly efficient ship operational, with a second one in the shipyard.”
