On January 15, the Norse Energi wind turbine installation vessel, built by CIMC Raffles for DEME, a leading company in Belgium’s offshore engineering sector, was delivered on schedule in Yantai. This marks China’s continued leadership in high-end international markets for marine engineering equipment manufacturing.
It is reported that the Norse Energi project is the second vessel in the world’s first pair of sister wind turbine installation vessels of the NG20000X series featuring a full DC power supply design. The all-DC power supply system equipped on the vessel is tailored to differences in equipment specifications, reducing the number of required cables and lowering equipment weight, while also taking up less space and significantly improving compatibility. This approach effectively reduces costs and energy consumption, enhances operational efficiency, and delivers environmental benefits.
As a key project in Europe’s clean energy development, Norse Energi is also equipped with a DP2 dynamic positioning system and possesses robust deck loading and lifting capabilities. These enable the simultaneous transport and installation of various wind turbine models, meeting the demanding requirements of continental shelf operations in the harsh conditions of Europe’s North Sea.
Furthermore, compared to other wind turbine installation vessels, the Norse Energi project features a 3,200-ton main crane and the latest battery hybrid drive system technology. The battery system can fully replace the functions of one main engine, reducing carbon emissions per megawatt installed by over 70%.
Notably, as a sister vessel of the industry’s most automated wind turbine installation vessel series, Norse Energi was delivered ahead of schedule through CIMC Raffles’ efficient collaborative “lean management improvement” model. Its seamless delivery earned high recognition from both the owner and the classification society—both parties acknowledged CIMC’s professional technical capabilities and its ability to deliver wind turbine installation vessels in series. Moving forward, the wind turbine installation vessel will be deployed at the Windanker (Iberdrola) and Hornsea 3 (Ørsted) offshore wind farms in Europe, delivering more clean energy to the world.
In the future, CIMC looks forward to continuing its collaboration with industry partners to jointly build more “national treasures of engineering” for the global offshore engineering sector and the development of clean energy, contributing to a new chapter in blue growth in pursuit of the global carbon neutrality goal.