06.11.2010

1,500 tonne crane for Beluga Hochtief

A joint venture between Hochtief Construction and the project and Beluga Shipping has commissioned the construction of a special jack-up vessel for the rapid assembly of offshore wind turbines.

The vessel which incorporates a 1,500 tonne capacity crane will be built at the Polish shipyard Crist in Gdańsk and should go into service in 2012.
Beluga Hochtief Offshore says that it has developed an innovative concept and design to handle the transport and erection of offshore turbines and will operate and charter the vessel once it is constructed.
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Beluga Hochtief Offshore

The vessel is expected to be able to install more than 80 wind turbines a year, with a height of over 120 metres, in water depths of up to 50 metres. In addition, the jack-up vessel will be used by Hochtief for offshore construction jobs.

The vessel’s most distinctive feature, apart from its crane which can handle its maximum 1,500 tonnes at 31.5 metres, is its high load capacity of 8,000 tonnes and powerful drive.

Niels Stolberg chief executive of Beluga Shipping said: “With this special, state-of-the-art jack-up vessel, we will be able to significantly reduce the assembly and servicing times required for latest-generation offshore wind turbines, thus hugely increasing productivity.”

“The installation of wind turbines at sea will thus become safer, more efficient and cheaper.”

Extensive simulations have shown that the vessel can also be deployed when sea conditions are very rough. The jack-up vessel is also suitable for use in the oil and gas market segments.

Henner Mahlstedt, chairman of Hochtief Construction said: “There is huge interest from market players. We are therefore considering the construction of a second jack-up vessel.”

The EU Commission estimates that investments in offshore wind farms will
increase to over €200 billion by 2030. The British government alone has
awarded contracts worth €110 billion for related project developments.