Poland’s Energomontaż-Północ Gdynia (EPG), a subsidiary of MARS Shipyards & Offshore Group, has manufactured and loaded out four spud cans to be installed on a wind farm installation vessel.
The spud cans, each with a diameter of 13 metres, will be attached to the bottom of each of the jack-up’s legs. The spikes in the cans can be driven into the sea floor, adding stability to the vessel during operations, MARS Shipyards & Offshore said.
The company did not reveal the name of the vessel for which the spud cans were manufactured. However, it did point out that the jack-up is currently undergoing modifications and that it will work on projects such as Norther in Belgium and Borssele in the Netherlands.
As previously reported, Van Oord is the Balance of Plant (BoP) contractor for the Norther project, for which the offshore installation vessel Aeolus will be used to install the 44 foundations and wind turbines. Van Oord is also the BoP contractor for the Borssele III and IV project.
The Aeolus is currently in Damen Shiprepair’s yard in Schiedam, where the vessel is being outfitted with a new 1,600t Huisman crane, a broader deck, and additional accommodation space.
The vessel is expected to be operational this spring.