Upgrading Bold Tern – because bigger is better

Offshore wind turbines are getting taller and heavier, which means bigger challenges for their installation and maintenance. With a new 1600t crane, jack-up vessel Bold Tern will soon be ready to lift the future ambitions of wind farm developers worldwide.

Across the world, wind farm developers and operators have relied upon FOWIC’s fleet of jack-up installation vessels and expert crews to install and maintain many of the offshore wind farms that are powering our lives today.

However, when these vessels were built in 2012 and 2013, they were designed to carry and lift the 3.6MW turbines in use at the time. Today, turbines have grown to be far larger and heavier, and plans for the installation of turbines up to 15MW are already in place. While this means greater efficiency for electricity generation, their size and weight present a serious challenge in terms of transportation, installation, and maintenance.

As a result, the decision was made to install a new 1600t LEC 65500 leg encircling crane on board Bold Tern – a development our customers have universally welcomed. The new crane will be the highest in the market upon arrival, making the vessel one of the few in the world capable of installing the latest generation wind turbines. FOWIC has worked closely with Huisman, the crane supplier, to ensure the crane has the right specifications and features to meet the industry’s needs for many years to come.

New Crane Turbine Sizes With New Turbine

Expertise and capacity in Singapore

Right now, the construction of the new crane is well underway, with plans for it to be transported to Keppel FELS in Singapore by the end of the year, where it will then be fitted onto Bold Tern.

This shipyard was chosen for several reasons. Firstly, it’s location plays an important role as Bold Tern’s first project with the new crane will be in the region. Also, the crane is being manufactured in Asia, which will minimize logistics costs and delivery times. Importantly, however, the yard has the expertise and capabilities required to install such a large piece of hardware, which will involve lifting the crane onboard using two floating cranes working in tandem – it will be a rare sight to see!

Far more than just a crane

Bold Tern, however, has already arrived at the shipyard. The reason for this is because before the crane can be installed, there are several other modifications to the vessel that need to be completed.

With a larger crane and bigger turbines on deck, Bold Tern will be heavier with a different center of gravity, which will affect its floating stability and deck load capacity. To improve stability, the width of the vessel will be increased by sponsons, which will also enable it to carry larger turbines.

The problem is that all this will add to Bold Tern’s weight, which further affects its deck load capacity. To counteract this, changes will be made to the jacking system to increase jacking and preload capacity. This will allow jacking at heavier weights and more load to be placed on the seabed, as well as improving the vessel’s ability to remain jacked up in worsening weather.

There will also be improvements to the mooring system, giving Bold Tern the capability of being moored with its deck load, which increases operational flexibility. This will allow the customer to load out towers and nacelles jacked-up at one quayside position and then move to another quayside position for loading blades afloat.

Lastly, Bold Tern will be fitted with 12 new single cabins to provide a more comfortable experience for customers on board.

Value and service for many years to come

While issues such as COVID-19 have made the process challenging, for example with the movement of personnel in and out of Singapore, the new crane installation project and vessel modifications are progressing extremely well.

In Asia, particularly, the offshore wind sector is growing rapidly, most notably in Taiwan, Korea, and Japan. Once completed and ready for operation in Q2 2022, Bold Tern will be on par with the latest new build jack-up vessels in development, providing many years of value and service to the industry, worldwide.

With these improvements to Bold Tern in place, FOWIC will be perfectly positioned to meet customers’ needs for the installation and maintenance of next generation wind turbines, today and tomorrow.

Learn more about Bold Tern