Heerema Marine Contractors is modifying its Thialf crane vessel in order to facilitate the installation of 27 turbines for Parkwind’s 257MW Arcadis Ost 1 wind farm in the Baltic Sea.
The Dutch company will be making changes to the A-frames of Thialf’s 14,200 tonne cranes that will allow them to pass under the 65 metre high Storebaelt Bridge in Denmark and permit access to the wind farm off Germany.
Heerema said that this is possible as Thialf’s A-frames already have hingable corners that can accommodate the NOV custom-designed semi-permanent adjustment system.
Using this system, Heerema can lower Thialf’s cranes and fold the A-frames to create a sufficient air gap when combined with ballasting between the vessel and the Storebaelt Bridge.
Heerema Fabrication Group’s Opole Yard in the Port of Rotterdam has completed most of the fabrication work required for the modifications which included the manufacturing of around 150 tonnes of structures.
The company said that with lots of offshore wind energy projects planned for the Baltic Sea, it will now be able to offer a lifting capacity of approximately 10,000 tonnes in the offshore region