Bernhard Schulte: Wind Turbine Service Vessel

2017/05/29

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Windea La Cour Box

Windea La Cour & Windea Leibniz were delivered to Bernhard Schulte in 2016/2017

Høglund Systems Installed:

  • Integrated Automation System
  • Integration to Siemens Blue Drive
  • Playback system


A New Segment

In 2015, Høglund was tasked by ship owner Bernhard Schulte to create an integrated automation system for the Windea La Cour, a wind turbine service vessel built by Ulstein. This first of it kind vessel is designed to navigate large wind farms, with up to 150 different turbine structures to be serviced, placing unique requirements on its dynamic positioning system. In turn, this created an extra level of complexity for its power management system. Høglund was tasked with installing an integrated automation system that interfaced with the Siemens BlueDrive PlusC Power Management System. As this was a new vessel segment, there were no concrete plans to work off at the design stage; Bernard Schulte knew that willingness to adapt and ability to think laterally would be invaluable.


Clarity, Control, Risk Management

Throughout the project, the Høglund team worked closely with other suppliers and engineers on the design specifications. Høglund worked with engineers from all parties to create a system that delivered the necessary clarity and control for this complex system. The flexibility that Høglund demonstrated was key success in this project; seamlessly interfacing their technology with the existing Siemens systems on board.

Given the complexity of the vessel’s power management, the vessel needed advanced diagnostics to help the crew cope with any issues. With any problems that surface with the vessel’s power management system, the playback function allowed the team to replay occurrences to help diagnose and fix issues, whether this be temperature control, machinery failure, or switching to a different engine.

As marine and offshore technologies accelerate, new segments will emerge to meet the needs of a changing industry. Automation suppliers will be integral in ensuring that new generations of vessels will be reliable, efficient, and deliver optimum performance.