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Small vessels for large waves

The daughter craft for wind
farms far from shore
Words: Trygve Espeland, Naval Architect, ESNA

Over the last three years we have seen the introduction of purpose-built
Service Offshore Vessels (SOV). These 70-100 m long vessels service wind
farms, where a long distance to shore makes a land-based service organization
impractical. Typically, 40-60 technicians live onboard the vessels and are
transferred to the wind turbines with motion compensated walk-to-work
gangways. A challenge for this operation is the efficiency of getting the
technicians around the wind farm. The SOV transits at typically 10 knots and
needs time for accurate positioning, to set out and also collect the personnel.
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This is the background for using daughter significant wave height and will therefore get the same time she should be able to
craft. Deployed and retrieved by a davit limited weather windows. An alternative is to operate in a large weather window. An
system onboard the SOV, she can use larger Crew Transfer Vessels (CTV) of offshore wind trend is that near-shore
complement the gangway, shuttle between 25-30 meter length that can stay 24/7 in the CTVs are getting larger. Many of the first
the SOV and turbines near and far wind farm, however, with significantly CTVs were catamarans of 15-16 meter
throughout the wind farm. So far these increased cost, due to larger vessels with length, while now most newbuilds are
daughter craft have been of similar type to more manning and the need for transfer to 20-28 meter length. The most evident
existing small rescue crafts. Monohull, 10-12 the shore far away. reason for this is the required increased
m in length and weight 8-15 tons. But these operational weather window with increased
small vessels can transfer to the turbines in A daughter craft needs to be lightweight operational wave height. This is illustrated
limited wave height, typically up to 1 to 1.2 m and small to operate from an SOV. But at in the following figure.

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Significant Wave height operability

wave height
Near shore Far shore
[m]
wind farm wind farm

1.0 50-60% 35%

1.5 75-80% 60%

2.0 85-90% 75%

Using the mentioned wind farms as an

example, this table shows typical weather
windows for different operational wave
heights.
Wavelength and vessel motions
The operational wave height for a vessel is all
about the seakeeping of the vessel, how it
reacts with different types and directions of
waves. It is especially important to The figure shows yearly statistics of wave height for some European wind farm locations. East Anglia and Irish
Sea wind farms are mostly served by land-based CTVs, while Hornsea and Doggerbank are further offshore and
understand how the wavelength compares to
served by SOVs. The plots show that if a vessel can operate at average 1.5 m significant wave height, she will
the vessel size, as this is defining for the
offer 75-80% operability in the near shore wind farms and 60% at Hornsea/Doggerbank.
physics of the vessel motions. This should be
considered when selecting a vessel type.
Doing this we are able to distinguish between waves’ are when the wavelength is longer figure illustrates this for vertical vessel
‘short waves’ and ‘long waves’, where ‘long than twice the length of the vessel. The next motions with an RAO plot.

The figure shows a typical RAO plot for vertical vessel motions. λ means wavelength and L means length of hull. The curve shows how much vertical motions the vessel
gets compared to the height of the wave. If the value is 1 the vessel moves 1 meter if the wave height is 1 meter. This is typical for swell; long waves where the vessel
floats like a cork plug. If the waves are short compared to the vessel the vessel moves little. If the waves are typically exactly twice the length of the vessel the motions
can be exaggerated. These types of motions are typical for all kinds of floating vessels and shapes.

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The figure shows vertical motions of a typical 25 m CTV and 75 m SOV for different wavelengths. It clearly shows that at wavelengths that are typically 2 x vessel length
the vessels float with the waves, e.g. value 1.0. It also shows that the SOV motions are favorable especially for wavelengths less than 100 meters.

In the following RAO curves are calculated for As shown in the previous figures, the as the waves.
a typical 25 m CTV and a 75 m SOV. dominating wave is ‘long’, meaning the ESNA has developed the Sea Puffin SES
The typical way of describing waves is with a vessels will primarily float up and down with daughter craft especially for this, as the active
significant wave height and a wave period. the wave period and with the same elevation SES motion damping can work very efficiently
The significant wave height is the average of
the ⅓ highest waves, and the wave period
can be understood as the average time
between each wave crest. This can be used
to calculate the average wavelength, which
also depends on depth. This is shown in the
following figure.
Generally near-shore wind farms are
dominated by shallow draft and short periods
of 4-6 s for relevant wave heights. The figure
shows that this corresponds typically to
20-50 m wavelength, which has been shown
in the calculation is favourable for > 25 m
CTV, but might prove challenging for smaller
vessels. Far from shore wind farms are
dominated by longer periods 6-8 s and deep
water, corresponding to 50-100 m wave
length, which is more demanding for the 25 m
CTVs but excellent for > 75 m SOVs.
Daughter craft for large waves
A main challenge for the offshore wind The figures show how the wave period matches with wavelength. Most wind farms have been built in relatively
daughter craft is to safely access the shallow water, while the floating wind farms and far from shore wind warms typically are in deeper water. With
offshore wind turbines in a wave climate that a wave period of 7 seconds the wavelength in deep water is close to 80 meters. If just 5 meter depth the same
forces large vertical motions on the vessel. wave is however shorter than 50 meters.

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The figure shows SES motion damping. Side view, with the vessel pushing on to the yellow boat landing. Safe access means that the bow does not slide along the boat
landing. The fan in the ‘nose’ blows air into the air cushion. The arrows show direction of airflow. In the wave through the outlet damper is closed and air pressure is
increased in the air cushion to compensate for reduced buoyancy. At the right with the wave crest the inlet damper is closed to shut off air supply, while the outlet
damper is opened to reduce the air cushion pressure. This system effectively removes 0.5-1.0 m vessel elevation and allows safe turbine access in larger wave heights.

in such conditions. The vessel is 15 meters up to 80% of the vessel weight. With an in 2018. Since then the vessel has proven
long and can be launched and recovered using actively controlled air damper the air very high operational efficiency. The
conventional single-hook davits. cushion pressure can be varied between 0 motion damping concept is illustrated in
and 80%, and this is used for active motion the above figures.
The SES (Surface Effect Ship) has an air
cushion between the two catamaran hulls, control when accessing the wind turbines. The Sea Puffin 1 has successfully
and with rubber sealing fore and aft The vessel design was started in 2015, with demonstrated safe turbine access in 1.75 m
between the hulls. An air fan creates an the first of class Sea Puffin 1 delivered by significant wave height. Measurements
overpressure in this air cushion, that can lift Esbjerg Shipyard A/S to owner WindPartner were made by ESNA, and the trials were

The figure shows measurements of vertical accelerations from zero speed sea trials with the Sea Puffin 1 in 1.5 m significant wave height. First the vessel floats normally,
before the heave motion damping system is activated. The motions are significantly reduced.

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The Sea Puffin 1 demonstrating full air cushion lift. Without the air cushion the draught is just where the black antifouling meets the white side paint.

financed by the Carbon Trust Offshore

Wind Accelerator. Below table shows typical Significant
trial results, clearly illustrates the Wave peak Water depth Wavelength Slip % (max
Wind farm Wave Height
period [s] [m] [m] 10)
differences in wavelength. Both trials are at [m]
similar wave height, but with wavelengths
corresponding to shallow near shore wind
farms and far from shore deep water. The Hywind
slip % is calculated using OWA’s P-Plot 1.70 7.0 Deep 76 2%
Scotland
criteria. For the long waves the vessel’s bow
was almost still, while for short waves the
motions were just within the OWA criteria
for safe transfer.
Horns Rev 2 1.75 4.7 9 - 17 Ca. 33 9%
With an operational wave height of up to
1.75 m the expected annual operability in
wind farms as Doggerbank and Hornsea for
the Sea Puffin Daughter craft is around 70%. significantly larger CTVs of 22+ meters wind farm operations.
This is twice the operability of a conventional length. She is in addition classed and can
www.esna.no
daughter craft that can transfer at 1.0 m Hs, transit to and from shore, providing both high
and matches with the performances of performances and flexibility for the offshore www.seapuffin.no

The Sea Puffin 1 pushing on to an offshore wind turbine. View from the wheelhouse.

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