Siemens Unveils First Customized Wind Turbine Transportation Vessel
Siemens Wind Power has unveiled its first specialized transportation vessel designed specifically to transport the massive nacelles used in Siemens’ direct-drive 8 MW wind turbines.
The Rotra Vente, Siemens’ first specialized wind turbine transport vessel, was unveiled earlier this month. The 141-meter long vessel can carry multiple 8 MW nacelles per trip, and allows for a much easier connection between Siemens’ intended manufacturing site in Cuxhaven, Germany, with installation harbors in the North and Baltic Seas.
Sea transportation and Roll on-Roll off-loading (Ro-Ro) are integral to most wind manufacturing companies, and no less to Siemens. The Rotra Vente was designed from a base of an existing hull of a container ship, and rebuilt to be a nacelle-carrying monster, including the new bow door that can be seen in the image above opening up for the nacelle to be deposited.
“With our new Ro-Ro transport vessel Rotra Vente, we are stepping into a new era of cost efficient offshore wind logistics,” explained 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.”
Siemens’ brand new Hull facility was commissioned only earlier this month, and includes a factory designed to manufacture Siemens’ 7 MW and 8 MW wind turbines.
“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, who acted as Siemens’ logistics partner in the construction. “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.”
The Rotra Vente will soon have a sister, designed for transporting towers and blades. Already under construction, the new vessel will be able to accommodate up to 12 wind turbine blades, and is expected for delivery in Spring of 2017.
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