A 142 metre jack-up left Damen’s Verolme Rotterdam shipyard in early September 2019 following a major refit.
Deme’s DP2 installation vessel Innovation spent several months in the Verolme shipyard undergoing renewal of its aft leg sections and an overhaul of its jacking motors.
Innovation measures 147.5 metres in length and operates on an electrical rack & pinion jacking system. The vessel supports offshore construction via the installation of foundations, and has an unmatched track record in the offshore wind industry, having worked at wind farms across Europe.
The most significant aspect of this refit was the modification and re-installation of Innovation’s aft legs, each measuring 89 metres in length. Reinforcement work was carried out on the legs to enable them to cope with an increased rate of jacking operations, driven by the increased efficiency of the installation works.
Once the vessel was drydocked the two aft legs were removed and two new middle sections were inserted on the quayside, the refurbished leg finally being assembled from three parts. In total 47 metres of section per leg were replaced.
To overhaul the jacking motors, all 48 gearboxes of the aft legs were removed, overhauled in the shipyard’s workshop, and reinstalled on the vessel. Additional general maintenance work completed the refit, which included a box-cooler renewal, maintenance to the spudcan shoes, replacement of one aft thruster, small steel repairs and the installation of a new pile gripper.
Following its extensive drydock period, Innovation has set sail to the SeaMade offshore windfarm in the Belgian North Sea to install 58 foundations.
By Jake Frith
