The Danish offshore shipping company Cadeler has secured a long-term contract from the energy group Ørsted for the operation of a newly built wind farm installation vessel.
The order is for a new Cadeler ship of the so-called A-class, of which two newbuildings, the “Wind Ally” and “Wind Ace”, have been ordered.
Ørsted has secured one of these ships for a period from the first quarter of 2027 to the end of 2030 for upcoming construction projects. When the order was placed in 2022, there was already talk of a reservation for a customer, without providing further details.
According to the shipping company, the A-class vessels have a “hybrid design” that enables them to transport and install both foundations and turbines (WTGs). The collaboration between the Danish companies builds on existing synergies and the work on “Hornsea 3”, which is Cadeler’s first project for the installation of foundations, according to the press release.
Cadeler provides flexible vessels
In view of the shortage of specialist tonnage, the contract is of great importance to the energy group. Patrick Harnett, Chief Operating Officer at Ørsted, emphasized: “Securing long-term capacity with strategic suppliers is key for Ørsted to build collaboration and jointly manage risks and execute our offshore wind construction program until 2030 and beyond.”
For Cadeler, the vessels are part of a wider fleet modernization and expansion program. The A-Class newbuilds are designed to transport up to six XXL monopile foundations per voyage. In addition, they can reportedly be “quickly converted from foundation installation vessels to installation vessels for wind turbines”.
Similar to the P-Class newbuildings, the A-Class vessels can transport and install seven complete 15-megawatt turbine sets per load or five 20-megawatt turbines.
