Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck christened the offshore transfer vessel “Impulse” in Kappeln. It is the first Wallaby newbuild with an innovative shock absorber system.
The energy company EnBW and Wallaby Boats have jointly launched the ship, which is equipped with a new type of suspension system. It enables the technicians to reach offshore wind turbines safely even in rough seas. At the same time, it is more economical than previous transfer vessels. [ds_preview]
EnBW has purchased the ship for use in its offshore wind farm “Baltic 2”. From May, it will take the first employees to their workplace at sea. The CEO of EnBW, Georg Stamatelopoulos, sees the ship as a new standard. “The transfer vessel will help us to produce electricity from offshore wind energy even more reliably and cost-effectively in the future.”
Wallaby newbuild “a pioneering piece”
At the naming ceremony, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Robert Habeck spoke of a “pioneering piece of German engineering.” More ships like this are needed to achieve the goal of producing a total of 30 GW of power in German offshore wind farms by 2030.
The suspension system was developed and designed by Nauti-Craft Pty Ltd. It enables the two hulls of the catamaran to compensate for wave movements independently of each other. These features make the transit much more comfortable. In addition, it makes it much safer for technicians to cross over to offshore wind turbines in waves of up to 2.1 m.
Wallaby catamaran compensates for swell
Ships with a hull suspension system also offer the advantage that personnel are exposed to less noise, ship movements and centrifugal forces. This significantly reduces the risk of seasickness and other health problems. The “Impulse” is reportedly the world’s first industrial catamaran with such a system in commercial use.
One of the ship’s innovative features is that the thermal energy generated by the hydraulics is used in the ship’s system, for example, for de-icing the deck in winter. The ship will be more efficient in operation than other standard ships and perform the same in rough seas.
The “Impulse” was built at the Hitzler shipyard in Lauenburg. Most of the suppliers were local or national, such as Hydac with its Dutch subsidiary Hycom for the hydraulics, Zoller (Elmshorn) and Noris (Rostock) for the electrics and automation, Thitronik Marine (Kiel) for the navigation and radio, and Tischlerei Wessels (Haren/Ems) for the interior fittings.
