OHT Alfa Lift Blocks Falling Into Place

January 21, 2020, by Nadja Skopljak

The China Merchants Heavy Industry (CMHI) shipyard has installed 78 out of 162 blocks in the dock of Offshore Heavy Transport’s (OHT) new wind farm foundation installation vessel Alfa Lift.

OHT Alfa Lift in Block Installation Phase — Source: OHT

According to OHT, the hull structural steel construction of the remaining blocks is also taking shape.

In total 103 of the 162 blocks have reached the NDT completion status, the company added.

Alfa Lift, for which the first steel was cut on 1 March 2019, is said to be designed to match the future requirements of the offshore wind industry, allowing it to transport and install up to ten 1,500t ultra-large jacket foundations or eleven 2,000t XXL monopiles plus transition pieces for the largest turbines.

The launching ceremony is planned for March, with Alfa Lift due to be delivered in early 2021.

The 216.3m vessel will be used for the transport and installation of monopile foundations and transition pieces at Dogger Bank’s 1.2GW Creyke Beck A and 1.2GW Creyke Beck B wind farms in the UK.