Jan De Nul’s Giant Jack-Up Vessel Arrives in UK for Dogger Bank Wind Turbine Installation

June 19, 2023, by Adrijana Buljan

Jan De Nul’s new jack-up vessel Voltaire has arrived in the port of Able Seaton, UK, from where it is set to start installing GE Haliade-X offshore wind turbines on the 3.6 GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm in early July.

An aerial photo of the Voltaire jack-up vessel — Jan De Nul

Jan De Nul took delivery of Voltaire from China’s COSCO Shipping Shipyard at the end of 2022. The vessel then left for Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE to undergo further commissioning and project-specific adjustments for the upcoming operations in the UK.

In May, the mega jack-up moved to Port Esbjerg to mobilise for the Dogger Bank work.

According to its owner, Voltaire is the largest offshore jack-up installation vessel ever built and first seaworthy Ultra-Low Emission installation vessel.

Voltaire has four legs measuring a little over 130 metres and a capacity to lift 16,000 tonnes of cargo. The vessel is fitted with a Huisman Leg Encircling Crane (LEC) of more than 3,000 tonnes – the largest LEC ever built and will use Huisman’s Universal Quick Connector (UQC) to pick up loads without any manual handling.

The jack-up is specifically designed to transport, hoist and install the next-generation offshore wind turbines, transition pieces and foundations, and is able to handle wind turbines of over 270 metres in height and 120 metres long blades.

For the Dogger Bank Wind Farm, the world’s largest offshore wind farm under construction, Voltaire will be transporting and installing a total of 277 GE Haliade-X turbines for all three 1.2 GW phases of the 3.6 GW project.

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Jan De Nul Group and the Dogger Bank Wind Farm joint venture signed the final contract for the transport and installation of the GE Haliade-X 13 MW offshore wind turbines at Dogger Bank A & B, located 130 kilometres off the Yorkshire coast, in mid-2020.

A year later, the companies signed a contract for the transport and installation of GE Haliade-X 14 MW offshore wind turbines for Dogger Bank C, which will be built 200 kilometres off the Yorkshire coast.

Dogger Bank A, B and C are owned by the joint venture between SSE Renewables (40 per cent), Equinor (40 per cent) and Vårgrønn (20 per cent). SSE Renewables is leading the development and construction of the Dogger Bank Wind Farm, while Equinor will operate the wind farm after completion.

Once completed in 2026, this will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm.