- Flagship vessel ‘Orion’ installs 29 monopiles for Ocean Winds’ Moray West project; ‘Apollo’ continues with transition piece installation.
Zwijndrecht, Belgium — DEME, a leading European offshore installation company, Monday announced the successful completion of monopile installation works at the Ocean Winds’ Moray West offshore wind farm in Scotland. Despite challenging winter conditions, DEME’s flagship vessel ‘Orion’ managed to install 29 monopiles within a span of two months. The project is significant as it represents the first complete foundations for nearly 15 MW turbines.
The Moray West offshore wind farm, located in the Moray Firth area of Scotland, is set to generate 882 MW of power, enough to supply over 1.3 million homes. DEME utilized advanced equipment including a Quad Vibro Hammer and pioneering bolting technology for M90 bolts, underscoring the company’s commitment to innovation and efficiency in renewable energy projects.
During the installation, ‘Orion’ transported the monopiles, each weighing up to 2000 tonnes, from the port of Invergordon. The vessel executed the installations in full Dynamic Positioning (DP) mode, which avoids the need for anchors, thus minimizing environmental impact. Key to the vessel’s performance was its specialized, high-tech motion compensated pile gripper, combined with a 5,000-tonne crane and sophisticated vessel ballasting techniques, which ensured successful operations amidst the notoriously harsh Scottish winter weather.
Following this project, ‘Orion’ is now en route to the United States for its next assignment, demonstrating DEME’s expanding footprint in global offshore wind projects. Meanwhile, DEME’s DP2 jack-up vessel ‘Apollo’ continues work on the Moray West project, currently installing the transition pieces necessary for the turbines.
This achievement not only highlights DEME’s capability in handling complex offshore wind installations but also marks a significant step in the use of large-scale turbines to increase the efficiency and output of offshore wind farms. The successful completion of this project under challenging conditions stands as a testament to the expertise and resilience of DEME’s operational teams.