Largest-Ever Leg Encircling Crane Installed on Offshore Wind Jack-Up – Gallery

March 14, 2022, by Adnan Durakovic

Jan De Nul’s next-generation jack-up installation vessel, the Voltaire, has been fitted with the main crane of more than 3,000 tonnes – the largest Leg Encircling Crane ever built.

Featuring a crane house weighing 1,800 tonnes, a boom length of 140 metres, and weighing 800 tonnes, the Huisman crane will use a Universal Quick Connector (UQC) to pick loads completely without manual handling.

Parallel to the installation of the main crane, the vessel’s legs are gradually being mounted until they reach their full 131.5 metres by early April, Jan De Nul said.

The first part of the legs was installed just before the vessel’s launching at the end of January at the COSCO Shipping Shipyard in Nantong, China.

The Voltaire is specifically designed to transport, hoist and install the next-generation offshore wind turbines, transition pieces and foundations. The vessel will be able to handle wind turbines over 270 metres high and blades 120 metres long.

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The jack-up is due for delivery in the second half 2022, the same as the recently launched Les Alizés.

The Voltaire will be deployed on the 3.6 GW Dogger Bank, the world’s largest offshore wind farm, transporting and installing in total 277 GE Haliade-X turbines with up to 14 MW in individual capacity off the coast of the UK.