Van Oord commissions offshore wind jack-up from Germany

The order, which was signed last week in Hamburg, comes from Dutch dredging and marine engineering contractor Van Oord. Van Oord has also placed an option for a second ship of the same type.

The time between development and delivery of the innovative jack-up to Van Oord in September 2012 will be just 21 months, with the construction phase scheduled to last one year.

The Sietas jack-up vessel has been developed for offshore wind farm installation, with a loading capacity of up to 6,500 dwt and the ability to work safely in depths of up to 45m. Thanks to its self-loading capacity and the jacking system, which maintains the ship in a stable position even in heavy seas, it can work reliably and quickly.

The Type 187 special ship will measure 139m in length with a 38m beam. It will have a 5.7m draught and be capable of a speed of 12 knots. Neuenfelder Maschinenfabrik (NMF), which also forms part of the Sietas Group, will equip the ship with a special offshore crane with an outreach of 30m, capable of lifting 900 tons and of operating at a height of up to approximately 120m above water level. When performing the installation of wind farms, it will be able to accommodate 74 crew members in single and double cabins. Sietas will be acting as architect and integrator of the entire ship.

‘We are delighted to have won this order, as it provides us with an entry point into the growth market that is the offshore wind industry, said Sietas Group CEO Rüdiger Fuchs. ‘Naturally, it also gives us great pride to have beaten off tough competition from the Netherlands, China and the United Arab Emirates.

‘We outdid the competition with our know how as shipbuilders and manufacturers of specialist cranes. With a bid made up of the ship and crane, plus development and construction, we were able to offer a turnkey solution from a single source. In addition, we were more competitive than the other bidders in terms of the services we could offer and the price. We are the first company in Germany to have won such an order, as commissions for these special jack-up vessels have always previously been placed abroad.

‘This newbuild order also marks an important step on the path to putting the Sietas shipyard back onto a firm business footing. This innovative new type of ship takes us into the growth market that is the offshore wind industry, giving the approximately 1,000 employees of the Sietas Group a clear outlook for the future.’