Covington, La. based marine engineering and services firm Baker Marine Solutions (BMS) has unveiled a new pipe mill barge concept design targeting uptake in the U.S. offshore wind industry.
BMS describes its new 1888 Mobile Pipe Mill Barge concept as an answer to the industry's monopile availability challenges and lack of sufficient yard space for fabrication.
The BMS 1888 provides a mobile pipe mill facility that can be scaled to meet the requirements of any specific project, anywhere on the coast, BMS said, noting that the barge is also intended to speed up the initialization of the project, as the facility can be moored anywhere with appropriate water depth and height clearance.
Should available shoreside facilities not be available, the 1888 can also be mated up to additional mobile welding and coating facilities barges, creating a full scale production line that can be rapidly mobilized to any area that can accommodate the marine footprint.
“The U.S. offshore wind market will require forward looking, practical solutions to complex supply chain challenges. The 1888 concept meets this goal,” said BMS president Jim Baker.
The 1888 will be fitted with two long seam weld stations, a roller arm, three welding manipulator-arms for 10-foot rolled plate, two stabbing stations, two stringer weld stations, two back weld stations, two welding manipulator-arms for back weld, an overhead bridge crane and gantry system, and four 60-foot spuds. It will be capable of producing 10- by 25-foot O.D. cans produced by long seam weld, and 40- by 25-foot O.D. cans as a final product.