Heerema Marine Contractors has installed a Delft Offshore Turbine (DOT) prototype at Eneco’s Prinses Amalia offshore wind farm in the Netherlands.
The turbine was deployed using Heerema’s Aegir DP3 vessel on a monopile installed in May, which is connected by a slip joint.
The slip joint allowed the turbine to be connected to the monopile without the use of grout or bolts.
The complete wind turbine was picked up in a single lift by Aegir from the quay of Sif Rotterdam and installed within one hour.
The prototype will stay offshore for one year to test the slip joint and gather data, which will be processed and used for validating lab tests by both TU Delft and TNO as part of the SJOR project.
DOT director Jan van der Tempel, said: “This offshore installation is a major milestone in the commercialisation of the slip joint.”
The SJOR project is part of the GROW program.