Floating foundation gets stamp of approval from ABS

Classification society ABS has issued an approval in principle for a floating foundation based on the tension leg platform.

SBM Offshore said its innovative floating foundation, including its mooring system and a commercially available offshore wind turbine, has been granted approval by the classification society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).

Based on a tension leg platform (TLP), the floating foundation was designed for a wet tow with the turbine already installed.

The design has been developed to a technology maturity level equivalent to front end engineering design for extreme and fatigue load case, using detailed wind and metocean conditions for a site offshore France.

The design was developed inhouse at SBM Offshore, in collaboration with partner IFP Energies Nouvelles using proprietary design tools and a detailed wind turbine model.

Approval in principle verifies that the foundation is suitable for its intended application and, in principle, in compliance with the applicable requirements of the ABS Guide for Building and Classing Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Installations.

SBM Offshore said the independent review affirms confidence in the foundation’s performance, particularly as it relates to its low mass, minimal seabed footprint and the “very low motions at nacelle level.”