Page 37: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (Mar/Apr 2021)

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Source: OHT/Ulstein “We have invested close to $600 million on speculation in Alfa

Lift and jacket vessels and the organization. Now it’s the client’s turn to commit. We are more than willing to push the button for

Alfa Lift 2 or more jack-up vessels, and we have options for three more jack-up vessels as well. But

The 216-meter long Alfa Lift vessel will feature a 3000-tonne crane and will be capable of carrying we’re not doing it and installing up to 14 XL monopiles per voyage. on speculation.” to the company’s heritage and expertise,” as well as comple- shipbuilding contract, OHT signed the preferred supplier mentary to its existing transportation feets, said Ramstad. agreement for Dogger Bank, the world’s largest foundation

While the existing OHT feet would be an advantage, a and installation project for offshore wind. “That puts OHT newbuild was needed, a mammoth ship that could seamlessly frmly on the map in this industry,” he said.

pick up, transport and install the offshore wind foundations, “So this whole story was about thinking in terms of high all in one trip over long distances. “We have a unique concept volumes and repetitive tasks,” said Ramstad, with the ‘trick’ in Alfa Lift, to install monopiles as a conveyor belt-type ma- being to do it safely, effciently, correctly, time and again. The chine,” said Ramstad. “We can be faster and more effcient traditional means to install the foundations entailed anchor- than our competitors; we’re not saying it, our clients tell us ing the ship on the seabed to stabilize the ship and maintain that we are the preferred choice in the segment.” position. But with the pace of installation targeted to one

After an investment in design work and development with day per monopile, this approach would have been too time- ‘key partners,’ OHT placed a shipbuilding order in 2018 with consuming. The solution: installing monopiles in dynamic

China Merchant Heavy Industries in Nantong, China, for positioning (DP) mode, something that had not (yet) been

Alfa Lift, which will be the world’s largest dedicated founda- done in 2015” (and since then has only recently begun), an tion installation vessel. approach that saves time and money.

“This was done on speculation,” Ramstad noted, a calcu- “The whole development of this concept started off with lated risk that paid off when 16 months after placing that the controls and automation,” said Ramstad. “As I like to say, march/April 2021 OFFSHORE ENGINEER 37