Windea Leibniz Delivered to Bernhard Schulte

 

Beginning in April, the vessel will work at the Sandbank wind farm in the German Bight for Siemens Wind Power Service to help ensure energy production from the site’s 72 wind turbines.

 

Windea Leibniz is the second wind farm service vessel in a series for Hamburg based shipping company Bernhard Schulte and the Beijing based financial company ICBC Leasing, following on the delivery of sister vessel Windea La Cour which has been working at the Dutch Gemini wind farm since August 2016.

 

Both vessels were designed by Ulstein Design & Solutions AS and built at Ulstein Verft in Norway.

 

The Windea Leibniz naming ceremony was held in at the Ulstein Verft yard premises, where lady sponsor Dai Ling named in vessel in honor of the German mathematician, philosopher and physicist Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz, who in the 17th century proposed to use wind power to operate pumps. 

 

According to the builder, the usage of the service operation vessels (SOV) will improve the efficiency of service operations at offshore wind farms. The vessel functions as a platform for wind farm operations and maintenance support, technician accommodation and transport, as well as the provision of exceptional levels of safe and reliable access to offshore installations.

 

“The vessel has the X-STERN hull shape, which allows it to be positioned with the stern faced towards the weather instead of the bow only,” said Matthias Müller, Managing Director of Bernhard Schulte Offshore. “Her 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 resilience, greater operability and reduced power and fuel consumption while on DP mode next to the wind turbine.”