Luxembourg based Jan De Nul Group (JDN) announced Friday it has ordered its third offshore jack-up installation vessel, due for delivery from Chinese shipyard COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry in 2022.
The new vessel, Voltaire, is designed to transport, lift and install offshore wind turbines, transition pieces and foundations, and will have better operational limits compared to existing jack-up installation vessels, JDN said.
For many current installation vessels involved in the construction of offshore wind farms, next generation turbines present new challenges due to growing sizes and installation heights, as well as ever-increasing foundation dimensions. These new larger turbines can be more than 270 meters high and are fitted with blades of 120 meters long.
With a crane capacity of over 3,000 metric tons, an operating depth of approximately 80 meters and a payload of about 14,000 metric tons, Voltaire is specifically designed to help handle these challenges, JDN said.
The DP2 vessel will have four legs to lift itself above the sea level for stable working conditions, and almost 100 percent more deck space compared to JDN’s two existing jack-up vessels, Vole au vent and Taillevent. Voltaire will have accommodation for 100 persons.
“Upon her delivery in 2022, we will be capable of efficiently installing the next generation of offshore wind turbine generators and foundations,” said Philippe Hutse, Offshore Director at JDN. “This investment is a logical step forward in the development of our offshore wind capacities. The third jack-up vessel will enable us to cope with our increased number of offshore wind projects worldwide. In addition, we recognize the global trend towards larger wind turbines for increased green energy demands. The Voltaire will have all the required specifications to meet the upcoming challenges.”
The new vessel, which will also be deployable for the oil and gas industry, and for decommissioning of offshore structures, is designed to run on gasoil but is fitted with an advanced exhaust gas filtering system by means of a Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system and a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) – technology that has already been applied on on two of JDN's trailing suction hopper dredgers and three more currently under construction.