Bernard Schulte takes delivery of wind farm service vessel

The DP2 Ulstein SX175 vessel, with a motion-compensated Uptime gangway, will support the operations of Siemens Wind Power Service in the production of energy from 72 wind turbines at the offshore energy facility.
Named after a German mathematician, philosopher and physicist who advanced the concept of wind power to operate pumps in the 17th century, the Windea Leibniz has been designed by Ulstein Design & Solutions AS and is officially called a service operation vessel (SOV). It incorporates Ulstein’s X-STERN^TM hull shape which allows the vessel to be positioned stern-on to the weather instead of facing it only with its bow.
Commenting on this, managing director of Bernard Schulte Offshore Matthias Müller said: “Its award-winning sister vessel Windea La Cour, which is working in the Dutch Gemini wind farm since August, has already proven that this leads to improved weather resistance, greater operability and reduced power and fuel consumption while on DP mode next to the wind turbine.”
The SOV will provide environmentally sound support for wind farm operations and maintenance, transport and accommodation for technicians, and will enable safe access to offshore installations via its gangway system. With accommodation for 60 persons, the 3,150dwt Windea Leibniz is powered by two azimuth thrusters, each driven by a frequency-controlled variable speed electric motor, supported by one retractable azimuth thruster and two side thrusters forward. The vessel has a deck area of 380m².