Belgium-based offshore installation services firm DEME has agreed to sell its jack-up installation vessel ‘Thor’ to the German shipping and logistics company Harren & Partner for an undisclosed fee.
DEME has owned the vessel for more than a decade, during which the DP2 jack-up was mainly deployed for the installation and maintenance of offshore wind farms.
"With a 500-t capacity, a high-outreach offshore crane, and a fully equipped accommodation block for up to 56 people, this highly versatile vessel also has a strong track record. Thor is 107.82 meters long and sails under the Madeiran flag," Harren & Partner, the new owner said.
Heiko Felderhoff, Managing Director of the Harren & Partner Group, described the new addition: “We are very happy that we were able to finalize this acquisition. Thor is a modern ship with a flexible economic design. A valuable addition to our fleet, she underlines our growth ambitions in the rapidly expanding market for offshore wind energy.”
The Harren & Partner fleet now consists of four offshore construction units: The DP2 offshore construction and heavy lift vessel Mexican Giant, the DP3 offshore construction heavy-lift twin-gantry catamaran VB-10,000 (US flag, Jones Act compliant) and the two jack-up vessels, Wind Lift I (DP1) and Thor.
Together with its partners, OWS Off-Shore Wind Solutions GmbH and Wind Multiplikator GmbH (co-investor) – also part of the ARGE N1 joint venture – Harren & Partner said it would deploy Thor for major component exchange services at the Nordsee One wind farm. Thor will also support other wind farms later in the year.
Announcing the sale of 'Thor' DEME also took the opportunity to share info on its current fleet and the newbuild program.
It said: "DEME has already established the most modern and versatile fleet in the offshore wind industry, with five jack-up installation vessels. Soon DEME will again add to the fleet when it welcomes the new DP3 offshore installation vessel ‘Orion’, which features a 5,000-tonne crane, and is the first of its kind in the sector. Meanwhile, in Taiwan, DEME and its partner, CSBC are building ‘Green Jade’. These two giants will bring a game-changing installation concept to the offshore energy market."