The self-elevating wind turbine installation vessel, Gang Hang Ping 5, capable of installing 26 MW wind turbines, has been delivered to the port city of Qingdao in east China.

Gang Hang Ping 5, China’s largest self-elevating wind turbine installation vessel so far, was delivered on 28 August in Qingdao City of the eastern Shandong Province, according to the press release from Tianjin Port Group.

The 29,000-tonne vessel is 135 metres long and 50 metres wide, with a lifting capacity of 1,800 tonnes. The ship can operate in water depths of over 70 metres and has an elevating height above the deck of 168 metres.

Tianjin Port Group said that the Gang Hang Ping 5, with 135-meter legs on its jacking system, can lift over 200 metres above water, making it the first vessel of its kind in China.

The vessel is also the first wind turbine installation ship in the country equipped with an intelligent ship system, enabling route and speed design and optimisation, intelligent energy efficiency management, and an intelligent integration platform, according to the port.

The ship features systems for monitoring and intelligent management, which could lead to an approximately 20 per cent increase in efficiency for wind turbine installations.

Manufactured by Tianjin Changer Engineering Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Tianjin Port Group, the vessel is said to be capable of installing 26 MW wind turbines.

Gang Hang Ping 5 can simultaneously carry two sets of 20 MW wind turbines and is designed for integrated operations, including the transportation, storage, and installation of units.

The ship uses a combination of wind and solar energy to meet its onboard power needs.

In February this year, South Korea’s Daewoo Engineering & Construction (Daewoo E&C) and CCCC Tianjin Dredging China signed an agreement for the use of the vessel for five years.

As reported in July, China’s largest city Shanghai could install 29.3 GW of offshore wind capacity, according to a plan formulated by the Municipal Development and Reform Commission and approved by China’s central government. This would enable the city to generate around 100 TWh of green electricity annually from offshore wind, enough to power half of Shanghai.

China is already leading in installed offshore wind capacity. At the end of 2022, the country had 31.4 GW installed, according to a report from Global Energy Monitor (GEM), and added a further 6.3 GW last year, for its sixth year in a row in the top position in newly installed capacities, according to Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC).