HANSA HEAVY LIFT deploys unit for underwater power plant in Australia

The global tramp carrier has successfully installed a bioWAVE energy unit to help with construction of a new wave power plant

Hamburg Germany - HANSA HEAVY LIFT has delivered a BioPower Systems (BPS) pilot unit and retrieval rig weighing a total of 698 metric tons, picking up the components in Vũng Tàu, Vietnam and transporting them to Portland, Australia. Once at the Port of Portland, the retrieval rig was discharged from HHL Freemantle to the water and the vessel proceeded to the site off Port Fairy to carry out installation work for the wave energy plant. The ship’s two cranes, capable of lifting a combined 1,400 metric tons, were used to lower the unit onto the seabed where it will convert wave energy into electricity. Divers monitored the installation process to ensure the unit was placed down safely and accurately. “This was a very delicate operation which required exceptional seamanship and engineering expertise,” said Ian Broad, Director Cargo Management, HANSA HEAVY LIFT. “The positioning of the ship was crucial to ensure accurate heading alignment. The unit had to be lowered through the splash zone at an angle of 15 degrees in order to reduce dynamic effects from the waves before lowering it to the seabed. “To protect the Australian environment, a rigorous process of pollution control was carried out, to ensure all equipment, including shackles, grommets, crane hooks/blocks, and heave-compensators, were treated with environmentally safe lubrication.” The bioWAVE device, which was inspired by undersea plants, is a 26m tall oscillating structure designed to sway back-and-forth beneath the ocean swell through an arc of up to 40 degrees. This oscillating motion activates opposing hydraulic cylinders containing the pressurized hydraulic fluid, which spins a 250kW generator to produce electricity. The electricity is then fed into the grid via an undersea cable. HANSA HEAVY LIFT engineers used remote controlled hydraulic shackles for underwater unhooking as well as heave-compensators to reduce dynamic forces on the cranes. Due to the rigging arrangements with the heave-compensators the lifting height was limited. Six winches were needed to control the unit’s swaying. “Our in-house engineering expertise and state-of-the-art equipment means we are ideally placed to support offshore customers with this type of sophisticated installation,” said Joerg Roehl, Chief Commercial Officer, HANSA HEAVY LIFT. “As we strengthen our focus in the offshore industry, with a particular focus on transportation and installation (T&I) in the subsea oil and gas market as well as the offshore windfarm sector, we expect to undertake more of these highly technical installations.” HANSA HEAVY LIFT recently appointed Mark Preece as its new Senior Advisor to help the company grow its presence in the global offshore industry.   The shipping line has a young and modern fleet of 19 multi-purpose vessels, and operates a regional structure that allows the company to respond to customers’ demands in real time, anywhere on the globe.