DEME’s offshore wind vessel Orion has entered its final construction phase with the installation of a 5000-tonne crane.
The DP3 offshore installation vessel recently arrived at Liebherr construction yard in the port of Rostock, Germany for the installation of the crane, which will be assembled on the 800-tonne pedestal on board.
The crane will include a rigging store, deck workplace and several offices.
With a lifting capacity of 5000 tonnes at more than 30 metres outreach the crane can lift the equivalent of nine fully loaded A380 airplanes in one go. Loads can be lifted to a height of 180 metres.
Orion will be one of the largest vessels serving the sector and will be deployed for the construction of the largest offshore wind farms, starting with the 950MW Moray East offshore wind project in 2020, off the coast of Scotland, where the vessel will install 103 jackets.
Orion will also be used for the decommissioning of offshore installations as well as servicing the offshore oil and gas industry.
The vessel can transport the “heaviest monopiles, jackets, wind turbine components and structures” in a single shipment, and can transport and install the next generation of multi-megawatt wind turbines, according to DEME and will be able to install monopiles at sea, while in DP3 mode.
Orion has dual fuel engines and can run on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and will have a Green Passport and Clean Design notation. A waste heat recovery system onboard converts heat from the exhaust gases and cooling water to electrical energy.