Wind turbine blade handling aboard a vessel

Abstract

A method is provided for handling wind turbine blades aboard a vessel, the method including providing on the vessel a blade rack assembly configured to accommodate more than one blade, the rack assembly having at least a root rack and a tip rack, and the root rack and tip rack defining between them a blade support plane. The method also includes providing a jack acting between the vessel and one of the root or tip rack; and raising or lowering one of the root or tip rack aboard the vessel by the jack to thereby move the blade support plane through an elevation angle θ. A jack assembly on a wind turbine installation vessel and an offshore wind turbine installation vessel are also provided, each capable of raising or lowering a rack of wind turbine blade root or tip support frame elements.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.