Offshore boom in China: New ship for wind turbine maintenance

China is taking the expansion of renewable energies seriously. According to a study by the non-governmental organization Global Energy Monitor (GEM), the country is building almost twice as much wind and solar energy capacity as all other countries in the world combined. Plants with a total capacity of 339 gigawatts are currently under construction in the People's Republic, of which 159 gigawatts are wind power plants. 

It is therefore not surprising that Chinese companies are also driving technological development forward. One of the world's most modern wind farm supply vessels also comes from China – powered by mtu Series 2000 engines, it is used to maintain wind farms owned by the Chinese energy company Sanxia.

Dual Mode: Catamaran with underwater propulsion unit 

The CAT-SWATH ship is a dual-mode ship. It combines the advantages of a catamaran with those of a SWATH vessel: it has two parallel hulls connected by a platform, as is usual for catamarans, and - analogous to the SWATH principle - underwater propellers with a small waterline area. 

When the ship is in the wind turbines of the Jiangsu offshore wind farm near the east coast of China to transport maintenance technicians, tools or spare parts, it benefits from the catamaran design. Its wide base and the distance between the hulls ensure a high level of stability, which means less rocking on board even in high waves. The ample space between the hulls is also an advantage when transporting parts. When the ship is docked to the wind turbines, the SWATH design helps to minimize the ship's movements and keep it attached to the turbine while the technicians work. 

"This dual-mode vessel is ideal for wind farms and we are proud to play our part in such an innovative project," explains Yan Jiang, Vice President Sales, Mobile Power Solutions in China. Two mtu 12V2000M86 engines - one installed on the starboard side and one on the port side - have been reliably powering the 32.5 meter long and 11.6 meter wide vessel for one and a half years, or over 1,000 operating hours. The engines meet the Chinese C2 emission standard and impress with their high torque at low load, low fuel consumption and ease of maintenance. The engines are also a real success in China.  "We have already supplied almost 1,000 mtu Series 2000 and 4000 engines to various Chinese marine customers," says Yan Jiang proudly.

The wind farm support vessel was designed by 702 China Ship Scientific Research Center and built by the Chinese shipyard Aulong Shipbuilding. "This ship is another step towards this goal and we are delighted to have Rolls-Royce on board as a professional and international partner," says Gary Wang, General Manager of Aulong Shipbuilding. He continues: "This ship is a prototype. If it continues to prove itself, a whole series of these ships could be built." 

The development of 510 gigawatts of wind and solar capacity is by no means the end of the story. According to a recent study by the non-governmental organization Global Energy Monitor (GEM), a total of over 1,300 gigawatts of projects are in the planning or construction phase, including around 593 gigawatts of wind energy.