Wind farm ships near completion at LWB

Tom Todd writes: LWB managing director Rüdiger Pallentin told The Motorship the first of the €100million ships would be finished at the end of May and the second in early or mid June. He said the yard was now beginning the re-assembly of the hydraulics and was re-erecting the mobile cranes.

The comment follows work which owner RWE Innogy in Essen has described simply as “final preparations” for offshore activity. German media however reported that faulty metal castings on the Korean-built vessels were being replaced.

Lending weight to that was the fact that the 100m x 40m vessels, GL-classed as self-elevating, special purpose ships, did not sail to Germany under their own steam after completion at Daewoo, but were transported on Norwegian heavy-lift semi-submersibles.

News of the upcoming delivery of the ships came as Pallentin reported that “our docks and also the berths are well-occupied up to mid June”.

He said business was so good that LWB was utilising dock space at neighbouring Motorenwerke Bremerhaven (MWB). He said the 7,060dwt feeder North Express had been docked there. Pallentin noted that MWB is owned by Dieter Petram who also now holds more than 50% of LWB. “It’s working quite well”, said the LWB MD.