A total of 58 Siemens Gamesa 8.4MW turbines will be installed on the monopile foundations in the Belgian North Sea.
DEME Offshore business unit director Michael Glavind said: “After the successful installation of the foundations, offshore substations and subsea cables, the start of the turbine installation campaign brings us another step closer to the production of green energy.
“This is also the first turbine installation project for our offshore installation vessel ‘Apollo’, which has just completed a challenging foundation piling project in Scotland.
“This vessel’s ability to multitask highlights the versatility of our fleet and our ability to handle all aspects of the most complex offshore wind farms.”
DEME’s DP2 offshore installation vessel ‘Apollo’ loaded the first wind turbine components at the Renewable Energy Base Ostend (REBO). The company will use this as the marshalling harbour for the pre-assembly of the 58 turbines.
Apollo carries an 800t, leg-encircling crane and a 2,000m² deck with a load-carrying capacity of 15t/m².
SeaMade and Otary CEO Mathias Verkest said: “I am proud to have reached the final stage of our SeaMade construction activities. The offshore installation of 58 8.4MW wind turbine generators in both concession areas will turn SeaMade into the largest wind farm in the Belgian North Sea.
“SeaMade and Rentel will soon have a combined operational capacity of about 800MW. Otary will enter into this final installation phase with great expertise, knowledge and focus.”
In February this year, DEME Offshore signed an agreement with Herrenknecht for the fabrication of a subsea drill to install XL-monopile at the 480MW Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm in France.
