Visitor’s impact on city skyline
NEW PORT ARRIVAL HAS MADE A BIG IMPRESSION
The latest visitor to Port of Sunderland has transformed the city’s skyline.
The MPI Discovery is the latest generation of wind turbine installation vessels (WTIV) and is berthed at Port of Sunderland’s Corporation Quay during a maintenance and housekeeping operation.
The enormous vessel, which has six giant jack-up legs that are piercing the city’s sky, is designed to transport, lift and install wind turbines and their foundations.
It has been berthed at the port since last week, and will sail out of the city’s waters later this month.
The Discovery is one of the world’s most advanced and efficient wind turbine installation vessels in terms of jacking speed, deck space, lifting capacity and positioning capabilities.
It is nearly 140m long and more than 40m wide with a deadweight tonnage of 6,000 metric tonnes.
Port director Matthew Hunt said the port’s easy access to the open sea and ability to respond quickly to customers’ needs made it particularly attractive to the offshore and renewables industry.
“Port of Sunderland is establishing itself as a fantastic base for all kinds of projects – whether it is for operations and maintenance, or significant cargo handling functions,” he said.
“Increasingly, we are attracting the attention of businesses in the offshore, new and renewables fields, who are keen to tap into our facilities and take advantage of our closeness to open sea and the excellent customer service we are able to offer.
“The MPI Discovery is a really impressive vessel and we are delighted to welcome her to the port.”