Smulders Orders Granada Cranes for Triton Knoll

Smulders has awarded a contract to Granada Material Handling Ltd to design, manufacture, deliver and commission 90 davit crane units for the Triton Knoll offshore wind farm.

Each of the Granada Python crane units has been specifically designed for the Triton Knoll offshore wind farm and the challenging marine environment in which it will operate. One Python crane unit will be fitted to each of the 90 transition piece platforms.

A Python crane unit measures approximately 4 meters in height, 4.3 meters in radius, and weighs 1,500kgs. The maximum lifting capacity of 1,500kgs is needed to hoist the heavier serviceable components from the supply vessel to the laydown area on the platforms of the transition piece platform.

By awarding contracts to the UK supply chain, Smulders is helping to support Triton Knoll and the UK Government achieve their objectives of maximising the content of offshore wind farms with both regional and national firms, Granada said.

“I’m delighted to welcome Granada Material Handling to Triton Knoll via our lead foundations contractor Smulders, and helping us deliver our target of at least 50% UK content throughout the project lifecycle,” Triton Knoll project director Julian Garnsey said.

“Granada first entered the offshore sector through our sister project Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm in North Wales, and we are very pleased to be able to continue our long association with them. Contract awards such as this help further demonstrate that the offshore wind industry has both the scope and scale to encourage the growth of a UK sector with the expertise and experience to become a global leader.”

The company is already now looking to place orders and sub-contract specialist areas of work to other UK businesses, and will deliver the crane units over a six month period.

The 860MW Triton Knoll offshore wind farm is a GBP 2 billion investment off the coast of Lincolnshire and 28 miles from the coast of Norfolk. The project is owned by innogy UK who has a 59% share, with JPower and Kansai Electric having 25% and 16% shares respectively.

The wind farm will comprise 90 MHI Vestas 9.5MW wind turbines expected to be operational in 2022.