New partnership keeps WTIV plans on track

The arrival of GeoSea to replace heavy lift shipping company Beluga in what was the Beluga Hochtief Offshore GmbH joint venture will allow plans for a newbuild wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) to remain on track.

In 2010, Hochtief joined forces with Beluga Shipping to develop a presence in the offshore wind industry, including the ordering of a newbuild WTIV. The plans were disrupted however when Beluga filed for bankruptcy earlier this year.

Following a restructuring of the German heavy lift company, its share in the venture has been taken over by GeoSea, part of the Belgian DEME Group. The new company will be known as HGO Infra Sea Solutions GmbH & Co KG, each partner having a 50% shareholding. The takeover took economic effect on 1 June 2011 and the share acquisition is subject to approval by the relevant merger regulation authorities, with the parties involved agreeing not to disclose the purchase price.

HGO Infra Sea Solutions develops constructs, manages and charters special purpose offshore vessels. It is clear the new joint venture has a vision beyond just one newbuild WTIV, as it plans to participate in the build and maintenance of offshore wind farm and oil and gas facilities, including the decommissioning of offshore structures. This can be viewed as a natural development given DEME’s broad portfolio of maritime related services built around their core activities of dredging, land reclamation and hydraulic engineering.

Of interest to the offshore wind industry will be the newbuild WTIV, ordered under the Beluga Hochtief JV. To be named Innovation I and currently under construction at Crist Shipyard in Poland, the main specifications include a payload of 8,000 tons, 1,500 ton lift crane and capable of operating in 50m water depths. Due for delivery in mid-2012, Innovation I is already booked for construction of the 80 turbine, 400MW, Global Tech I wind farm in the German sector of the North Sea

By Peter Barker