Image courtesy Cadeler
Copenhagen-based wind turbine installation vessel provided Cadeler has placed an order at COSCO for two of the world’s largest WTIVs.
The two vessels will be constructed at COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry’s shipyard Qidong, China for delivery in the third quarter of 2024 and first quarter of 2025, respectively.
Cadeler said the order is valued at $651 million, amounting to $325.5 million per vessel. The vessel’s are expected to be the largest of their kind in the world when delivered.
With a deck space of 5,600 square meters, a payload of over 17,600 tons, and main crane capacity of above 2,000 tons at 53 meters, the two vessels will be able to transport and install seven complete 15MW turbine sets per load, or five sets of turbines 20MW or even greater.
The first vessel has already been contracted by Siemens Gamesa for the transport and installation of one hundred 14 MW wind turbines at the “Sofia” offshore wind farm, located at Dogger Bank in the UK North Sea. The 14 MW turbines are expected be the largest wind turbines in the world at the time of installation, measuring 252 meters tall from sea level to the tip of rotor blade.
The addition of the two new vessels, known as the X-class, will double the size of Cadeler’s current fleet.
“Expansion of our fleet is an important strategic priority to ensure that we can meet the demand we are seeing from clients for greater installation capacity,” said Mikkel Gleerup, CEO of Cadeler.
“Offshore wind plays an increasingly important role in the green energy transition, and the installed offshore wind capacity is expected to grow substantially the coming years across several regions. We are well-positioned to play a role in cost-competitive offshore wind power production by providing efficiency gains for turbine manufacturers and windfarm owners,” Gleerup added.
Siemens Gamesa CEO Marc Becker indicated the vessels will help keep pace with industry demand.
“For the first commercial installation of what will be the largest offshore wind turbines in production, it is essential that the vessels be as cutting-edge as the machines themselves. We are confident that the X-class vessels from Cadeler will provide the outstanding load capacity, technological achievements, and overall energy efficiency gains we are counting on,” said Becker.
Construction of the vessels is expected to start immediately.
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