Offshore wind vessels and substation set sail for new destinations, projects
Giant Boreas offshore wind construction vessel arrives in Amsterdam
Van Oord’s newbuild offshore wind installation vessel Boreas has reached the Netherlands following its voyage from the shipyard in China, according to a March 10 company update.
After navigating through the sea lock in IJmuiden, it has since docked at TMA Logistics in the Port of Amsterdam, where it will undergo its final completion.
The decks will be outfitted with wind turbine foundation equipment and installation tools in preparation for the vessel’s first assignment, with a naming ceremony due to take place in Rotterdam in June.
According to the company, Boreas—at 175 m long—is the largest offshore installation vessel of its kind. It features a crane capable of lifting loads of more than 3,000 metric tons with a 155-m tall boom.
The vessel is designed to transport and install larger next-generation wind turbines of up 20 MW and their associated foundations. Its four legs, each 126 m high, allow the vessel to be jacked up for operations in water depths of up to 70 m.
In addition, Boreas is capable of running on methanol and also features selective catalytic reduction technology to limit NOx emissions to a minimum. Its battery pack of about 6,000 kWhr is said to be capable of managing peak loads and to regenerate energy, further reducing fuel consumption and corresponding emissions.
Taiwan offshore wind substation departs Vietnam yard
Semco Maritime and PTSC M&C have completed load-out and sailaway of the second offshore substation topsides for the Hai Long wind farms offshore Taiwan, according to a March 11 news release.
The departure of the Hai Long 3 topsides from the yard in Vung Tau City, southern Vietnam, followed sailaway of the Hai Long 2 topsides from the same yard last April.
Hai Long 2 and 3, with a combined capacity of more than 1 GW, are 45-70 km offshore in the Taiwan Strait in 35-55 m water depth. This is a joint development between Mitsui & Co., Northland Power and Gentari.
The Hai Long 3 offshore substation should be installed and prepared for offshore commissioning by the second quarter.
First Baltic Power wind foundations in place offshore Poland
A fleet of 11 vessels began mobilizing last month to start construction of the 1.2-GW Baltic Power wind farm, Poland’s first offshore wind development, according to a Feb. 6 news release by ORLEN.
The first of the 78,100-m tall steel monopiles, weighing up to 1,700 metric tons and more than 9 m in diameter, are being driven into the seafloor at depths of about 40 m using a floating installation crane.
All will support 15-MW wind turbines, some of which are being manufactured at Vestas’ branch in Szczecin.
Aside from the crane vessel, more than 10 specialized ships are engaged in construction, including support vessels, tugboats, personnel and equipment carriers, environmental monitoring vessels, and security patrols. The Baltic Power Offshore Coordination Centre is supervising all offshore construction activities and maritime traffic.
Installation will follow of transition pieces to connect the foundations with the turbines, followed by assembly of turbines, offshore substations, inter-array cables and export cables transmitting electricity to shore.
Baltic Power, operated by the ORLEN Group and covering a 130-sq-km area, is due to start operations in 2026. ORLEN has also secured licenses to develop three further offshore wind farms
