Lankhorst leads in Floating Wind Turbine Moorings

As wind energy production moves further offshore, and water depths increase, fibre rope mooring lines from Lankhorst Offshore hold the key to the successful installation of floating wind turbine generator (WTG) platforms. Already proven in several offshore wind and wave energy projects, the fibre mooring ropes provide the flexibility and stiffness needed to ensure a resilient mooring for long-term offshore installations.

The mooring rope characteristics of Gama98® Dyneema® DM20® and Cabral 512® PES make them an ideal choice for offshore wind mooring projects. Moreover, the ease of rope handling results in significantly lower costs compared to spiral strand steel wire both during installation and future disconnection.

Lankhorst Offshore Gama98® Dyneema® DM20® fibre ropes provide a soft catenary mooring system. It has been used for the Wind Float Atlantic project offshore Portugal, 50MW Kincardine offshore wind farm offshore Scotland, and innovative WavePiston wave energy project.

Cabral 512® PES rope, on the other hand, provides a stiffer mooring. Manufactured from high efficiency sub-rope cores laid parallel within an outer braided jacket, each sub-rope is monitored during rope manufacture to ensure all sub-ropes have equal tension and length.

For Offshore Wind Sales Manager, Alberto Leao, the benefits of Lankhorst offshore fibre rope moorings are twofold: lower CAPEX using lightweight mooring line components and smaller vessels, and lower OPEX provided by durable mooring lines with an operational life of more than 25 years. “We can also provide extensive rope engineering design, manufacturing and testing facilities enabling the development of project-specific ropes best suited to the prevailing offshore mooring conditions, and mooring line configuration,” he said. 

For more information on Lankhorst Offshore and Offshore Energy moorings, visit www.lankhorstofshore.com and email: info@lankhorstoffshore.com.