Specialist shipping companies Cadeler and Van Oord benefit from the expansion of offshore wind capacity off Poland.
The Danish shipping company Cadeler, which is itself working on a significant expansion of its specialized heavy-lift fleet, today announced a new agreement.
A Vessel Reservation Agreement (VRA) has been signed with wind farm developer Ocean Winds – a joint venture between energy companies EDP Renewables and Engie – for the installation of wind turbine generators (WTGs) at the BC-Wind offshore wind farm in the Polish Baltic Sea.
The potential value of the contract, which is to be negotiated during the term of the VRA, is estimated at between €48 million and €56 million. It involves the installation and transportation of around 30 wind turbines. One of the O-class vessels is to be used and the project is scheduled for completion in 2028.
Cadeler expects five new vessels
Cadeler claims to be the “world’s leading company for the transportation and installation of offshore wind turbines” and has a fleet of six jack-up vessels currently in operation and five newbuilds to be delivered in the coming years.
Cadeler and Ocean Winds have worked together before, most recently on the Moray West offshore wind farm off the Scottish coast. “But this project marks the first time that the two companies have entered into a direct contractual relationship,” it said in a statement.
BC-Wind is an offshore wind farm with a capacity of up to 500 MW. It is located approximately 23 km off the Polish coast, north of the Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. It is Ocean Winds’ first project in Poland. Mikkel Gleerup, CEO of Cadeler, said: “Poland has become a major player in the offshore wind market and we look forward to working in the Baltic Sea again and contributing to the development of offshore wind energy in the region.”
“Svanen” active off Poland
The Dutch shipping company Van Oord is also active in the Polish offshore wind market. The specialist vessel “Svanen” has installed the first monopile in the Baltic Power offshore wind farm, 23 km north of the Polish coast. The wind farm is equipped with the new generation of wind turbines, which have an output of 15 megawatts. After a recent upgrade, including an extension of the gantry crane by 25 meters, the “Svanen” is ready to install the foundations for this new generation of wind turbines.
Baltic Power is Van Oord’s first offshore wind project in Poland. The project developers Orlen and Northland Power commissioned Van Oord to transport and install 78 foundations, consisting of a monopile with a transition piece. With a production capacity of up to 1.2 gigawatts, the Baltic Power offshore wind farm will ultimately supply more than 1.5 million households in Poland with renewable energy. The wind farm is scheduled for completion in 2026.
