Van Oord's heavy lift vessel soon to be 'world's largest'

By: Chloe Emanuel 18/12/2023 Dutch Wind Energy Association (NWEA)

General Vessels Windfarms

Van Oord's heavy lift vessel Svanen is getting a major upgrade. This will include extending the gantry crane by 25 metres, making the ship suitable for the installation of the next generation of monopile foundations for offshore wind projects, states the Dutch Wind Energy Association (NWEA).

Due to the extension of the crane, the Svanen will soon be 'one of the largest jack-up vessels in the world'. The 1,200 ton extension will be built by Holland Shipyards and installed using a 200 metre high Mammoet crane. In addition to the extension of the crane, the project includes an upgrade of the lifting hooks (which increases the ship's lifting capacity from 3,000 to 4,500 tons) and an upgrade of the gripper to handle heavier loads.

Furthermore, the construction of the ship is being adjusted to make it suitable for the latest hammer dimensions. The adjustments are taking place at various locations in the Netherlands, mainly in the Rotterdam region. The renewed Svanen will be operational in the third quarter of 2024.

The first project where the Svanen will be deployed after the upgrade is the Baltic Power offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea. This wind farm will have the new generation of wind turbines with a generation capacity of 15 MW. Thanks to the upgrade, Svanen will be able to install the foundations of this new generation of wind turbines. In addition to the large lifting height and considerable lifting capacity, the shallow draft also makes the Svanen suitable for work in the Baltic Sea. The ship has already played an important role in various projects there, such as Kriegers Flak, Baltic 2, Arkona and Baltic Eagle.

The Svanen has an interesting history. Although the ship now has an impressive track record in the offshore wind sector, it was originally designed for the construction of bridges. Due to the energy transition, the Dutch offshore wind market gained momentum in 2005 and the Svanen was converted for the installation of monopiles and transition pieces.

Since then, the ship has installed more than 700 monopiles and 223 transition pieces, which are getting bigger and heavier every year. To be prepared for this increase in scale, the Svanen has already undergone a major upgrade in 2017, and now again. By upgrading an existing ship like the Svanen and reusing much of the original construction and machinery, Van Oord reduces the amount of waste and emissions, which is in line with its sustainability program.

For more intelligence on component trends for turbines, installation vessels, specifications and supply & demand analysis, click here.

Premium

ForeSEE Premium, our most popular subscription, gives you full access to use the ForeSEE WebApp which includes exclusive offshore wind, transmission and vessel reports, news and downloads.

Request a 30 minute Demo

Van Oord's heavy lift vessel soon to be 'world's largest'

Back to News

Trending News!