Seaway7 says it has installed all 277 monopile foundations at the world’s biggest offshore wind farm – Doggerbank in the UK.
The 183m-long vessel has a patented monohull shape which, with its fuel-efficient engines, enables a transit speed of 12 knots, Seaway7 says. It has lift heights of 100-130 metres and weights of 5,000 tonnes.
Powering the enormous vessel are six 4,500kW main engines, two 5,500kW main thrusters, two 3,500kW DP thrusters, two 1,150kW bow thrusters, giving it a transit speed of 12 knots. It can accommodate 220 people.
Having completed the monopile installations with crane vessel Seaway Strashnov, Seaway7 will then go on to install the transition pieces with Seaway Alfa Lift.
This vessel is even larger, with a length of 244.6 metres and 11 engines in total, including four 6,875kW main engines, three 3,200kW tunnel thrusters, three 5,500kW stern thrusters, and one 3,200kW bow azimuth thruster.
The vessel has a 3,000-tonne crane and an 8,000m2 main deck space.
Dogger Bank details
Dogger Bank, which comprises A, B, C and D, is jointly owned by SSE and Equinor across all four except for A and B, which are also owned by Vårgrønn.
Dogger Bank D is in the proposal phase, and SSE and Equinor have just finalised the seabed lease to progress the project.
It will maximise the capacity of Dogger Bank C, ‘unlocking up to 1.5GW of additional renewable electricity capacity from the 3.6GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm’, the developers say.
Dogger Bank D has plans for up to 113 installed offshore wind turbines on fixed-bottom foundations as well as up to two offshore substation platforms on what will be a 262km2 seabed site.
“Reaching this milestone for the Dogger Bank D development provides future opportunity to unlock more value and volume from the world’s largest offshore wind farm whilst building on our expertise and presence in the North East of England, said Melissa Read, head of Regional Development - UK Renewables - with Equinor.
“The UK is a core strategic market for Equinor and Dogger Bank D demonstrates how there is the potential to further develop our future UK portfolio by having the opportunity to increase future value from quality existing assets. We look forward to maturing the project further with SSE and continue to support the UK’s offshore wind and net zero ambitions.”
Dogger Bank D is one of seven UK offshore wind farm projects with existing seabed leasing agreements that have been identified for potential development as part of The Crown Estate’s ‘Capacity Increase Programme’, which intends to unlock up to 4.7GW of potential electricity.
