Jan De Nul’s Next-Generation Offshore Installation Ship Launched in China

Belgian marine services company Jan De Nul has announced the launch of its next-generation offshore installation crane vessel Les Alizés.

The launching took place January 2nd at the CMHI Haimen shipyard in China.

The vessel, which will specialize in offshore renewables and decommissioning, will become the largest heavy lift vessel in Jan De Nul’s fleet upon delivery in the second half of 2022. It’s first job will be in Germany transporting and installing 107 wind turbine monopile foundations for the God Wind 3 and Borkum Riffgrund 3 offshore wind farms for Ørsted.

“The construction of our offshore floating installation vessel Les Alizés is well on track. We can look forward to delivery later this year, so that we can continue to build the future of offshore renewable energy,” said Philippe Hutse, Director Offshore Division at Jan De Nul Group. “Together with our Offshore Jack-Up Installation Vessel Voltaire, which is also under construction in China, we will have the perfect set of offshore installation vessels that will be able to install current and future generations of offshore wind farms. This is how we offer our customers the most efficient installation solutions and results.”

Les Alizés will be equipped with a large Huisman crane with a lifting capacity of 5,000 tons, impressive lifting heights, and a Universal Quick Connector (UQC) capable of handling the world’s largest offshore wind turbines. A motion-compensated pile gripper, with an integrated guidance and survey system, will provide for safe and efficient installation of monopiles “with pin-point accuracy,” according to Jan De Nul.

The monopile handling system will constist of a set of cradles, a skidding system, and an upending hinge to handle and install the largest monopiles.

“It is our continued philosophy to focus on operational efficiency and improving safety as the main objectives,” said Jan Van De Velde, Head of Newbuilding Department at Jan De Nul Group. “The Universal Quick Connector, the innovative Motion-Compensated Pile Gripper and the fully automated Monopile Installation System perfectly fit into our strategy of having no manual deck intervention during installation. We stay one step ahead in offering the renewables industry a safe and efficient one-stop-shop installation solution.”

Unlike the Voltaire, Les Alizés will be equipped with high-performance DP2 system, instead of jack-up legs that drop to the seabed, making it ideally suited for working in challenging weather conditions and sea states, deeper water, and not dependent on seabed conditions.

In order to reduce CO2 emissions, Les Alizés will feature a hybrid diesel-battery system to optimize engine loading and to recover potential energy returned from the heavy lift crane. The vessel will also be capable of running on second-generation biodiesel, reducing its carbon footprint by up to 90%. An advanced dual exhaust filter system will remove up to 99% of nanoparticles from emissions using a diesel particulate filter (DPF) and reducing the NOx emissions and other pollutants by means of a selective catalytic reduction system (SCR) to levels in accordance with EU Stage V regulation.