Van Oord’s Svanen Gearing Up For Next-Gen Wind Projects With Major Upgrade

The heavy-lift installation ship Svanen, owned by Van Oord, is about to undergo a significant renovation. With a 25-meter extension to its gantry crane, the ship will be equipped to handle the latest generation of offshore wind project monopile foundations.

The most noticeable improvement, the gantry crane expansion, puts the Svanen among the biggest heavy-lift installation vessels in the world. Holland Shipyards will build the 1200-ton addition and use a 200-meter-tall Mammoet crane to install it.

In addition to the gantry expansion, the upgrade program calls for enhancing the lifting hooks to raise the vessel’s lifting capacity from 3000 to 4500 tons, upgrading the gripper to support heavier loads, and upgrading the vessel’s structure to accept the newest hammer size.

The changes will be implemented in multiple sites throughout the Netherlands, mostly in the Rotterdam region. In 2024, the improved Svanen is scheduled to go online during the third quarter.

Per Arnoud Kuis, MD of Offshore Wind, wind farm technology continues to advance, and turbines are growing larger due to the need for sustainable energy on a global scale. The latest upgrade of the Svanen is set to prepare for this increase and further allows to maintain the firm’s leadership position in the broader offshore wind industry.

The improved Svanen’s first project

The Baltic Power offshore wind farm based in the Baltic Sea, which will have new wind turbines with a 15MW generating capacity, will be the first project for the improved Svanen. With the improvement, the Svanen’s substantial lifting capacity and high lifting height will allow it to lay the foundations for these novel turbines. Due to its low draft, it is especially ideally adapted for operations across the Baltic Sea, where it has previously played a major part in several major projects, including Baltic Eagle, Kriegers Flak, and Baltic 2.

The Svanen has a rich history and a significant impact on the offshore wind sector. The ship was first built to build bridges, but in 2005, it was modified to serve the growing offshore wind sector in the Netherlands. Since then, it has established more than 700 monopiles along with 223 transition pieces effectively, according to the yearly increases in weight and size requirements.

The Svanen underwent a significant renovation in 2017 to match its expanding size, and more improvements are planned. Van Oord’s strategy of modernizing already-built vessels, such as the Svanen, and repurposing original parts and equipment is in line with its sustainability policy, which effectively lowers emissions and waste.

Reference: Projectcargojournal

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