Jan de Nul wind installation vessel launched

The vessel will be named Les Alizés and is scheduled to be delivered in H2 2022, before undertaking its first assignment transporting and installing 107 monopile foundations for the offshore wind major Ørsted as part of the Gode Wind 3 and Borkum Riffgrund 3 Offshore Wind Farms in Germany’s coastal waters.

The offshore wind installation vessel will be the first offshore wind installation vessel to obtain Ultra Low Emission vessel (ULEv) certification, thanks to a bespoke diesel particulate filter and MAN selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system. The aftertreatment solution ensures the vessel exceeds Tier III NOx criteria and meets Euro Stage V standards. Jan de Nul noted that the ultra-low emission vessel can run on second-generation biodiesel that reduces the fuel carbon footprint by up to 90%.

The vessel is also noteworthy as it is designed to undertake installation work afloat rather than in jack-up mode, which will extend its potential operational range for deeper water installations.   

The vessel’s 5,000t capacity tub-mounted crane (TMC) was supplied by Dutch specialist Huisman’s Xiamen facility. By integrating the diesel generators with battery and drive technology, Jan de Nul expects to optimise engine loading and to recover the potential energy returned from the heavy lift crane.

Philippe Hutse, Director Offshore Division at Jan De Nul Group: “The construction of our offshore floating installation vessel Les Alizés is well on track. We can look forward to delivery later this year, so that we can continue to build the future of offshore renewable energy. Together with our Offshore Jack-Up Installation Vessel Voltaire, which is also under construction in China, we will have the perfect set of offshore installation vessels that will be able to install current and future generations of offshore wind farms. This is how we offer our customers the most efficient installation solutions and results.”