SBM Offshore Wins AIP for Wind Floater Design from ABS

The classification society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has issued an Approval in Principle (AIP) to Dutch-based SBM Offshore (IHCB.F) for its proprietary wind floater design.

The global provider of floating production and mooring systems (FPSO) said that the wind floater is a TLP concept and has been designed for the full life cycle, including in-place conditions, as well as wet tow with the wind turbine installed, and mooring hook-up phase.

The AIP demonstrates the successful design of the floater, compliant with ABS’ design standards, said the offshore oil and gas company.

“We are very proud of this Approval in Principle and it is a testament to the expertise and innovative spirit at SBM Offshore. It represents a key step in the development process towards large scale application of our wind floater, while underlining SBM’s strong commitment to renewable energy solutions,” said Séverine Baudic, Managing Director Floating Production Solutions.

Based on a TLP concept, the wind floater has been designed for excellence across the full life cycle, including in-place conditions, as well as for wet tow with the turbine installed and mooring hook-up phase. The approved design has been developed to a technology maturity level of a Front End Engineering Design (FEED) for all relevant extreme and fatigue load cases, using detailed wind and met-ocean conditions for a site offshore France.

The complete design was developed in-house at SBM Offshore, in collaboration with our partner, IFP Energies Nouvelles (IFPEN), using proprietary design tools and the detailed wind turbine model, including the controller.

The AIP verifies that the floater is feasible for the intended application and, in principle, in compliance with the applicable requirements of the ABS Guide for Building and Classing Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Installations and with sound engineering practices.

The independent review cements SBM Offshore’s confidence in its wind floater’s performance, particularly related to its low mass, its minimal seabed footprint and the very low motions at nacelle level.