Germany: Sietas Starts Construction of Jack-Up Vessel for Van Oord

In the shipbuilding hall of the Sietas shipyard in Hamburg, a start has now been made on the construction of a German premiere: production has started of the first sections and blocks of the offshore wind power jack-up vessel for the prestigious Dutch marine engineering company Van Oord.

In the presence of Peter de Ridder, COO of Van Oord, engineers from the specialist in complex offshore projects and the Sietas team, receiver Berthold Brinkmann and Rüdiger Fuchs, agent for the receiver, gave the go-ahead for the German premiere. Sietas is the first German shipyard to build such a special-purpose vessel. Delivery is scheduled for the spring of 2013. In addition, Van Oord has an option on a second vessel of the same type.

“We are delighted to be starting on the construction of this vessel. It is the first of a new generation for us,” said Peter de Ridder, COO of Van Oord. “We are working very closely with the Sietas shipyard on this project, and we know that we will be getting a reliable, high-quality ship. The offshore market and the wind farms are getting more and more challenging. In future the foundations for more and more of these wind farms will be laid in water depths of up to 50 metres, instead of the current 30 metres. The turbines to drive the generators will in future require a power output of five to six megawatts, so they have become bigger and heavier. That is why we need this new type of vessel.”

A team comprised of around ten project managers, engineers and electricians from Van Oord will be at the Sietas shipyard throughout the entire construction period. Together with Van Oord, Sietas also developed the special-purpose vessel in 12 months. Operating as architect and integrator, the Sietas shipyard in collaboration with its subsidiary Neuenfelder Maschinenfabrik (NMF) is providing the development and construction of the installation ship and the offshore crane from a single source.

Van Oord first placed the order in December 2010 with the Sietas shipyard, which was only able to execute the order in the context of the insolvency proceedings with a new agreement. This new order was then placed in February 2012.

“We would like to thank Van Oord for giving the order to the Sietas shipyard. The offshore wind power jack-up vessel is groundbreaking for us and for German shipbuilding. At the same time I would also like to thank the Sietas employees: they all worked together as a team to reinstate the order,” said receiver Berthold Brinkmann.

Rüdiger Fuchs, agent for the receiver: “It is a very special moment for us, now that this special-purpose vessel is moving from the design phase into production. For the Sietas shipyard this is the most challenging ship that we have ever developed and built. We are delighted that we can now realise the project.”

About the offshore wind power jack-up vessel

The Sietas jack-up vessel was developed for use far from the coast in offshore wind fields. It has a transport capacity of up to 6,500 tons (tdw) and can work safely in water depths of up to 45 metres. Thanks to its self-loading capacity and jacking system, which keeps it stable even in choppy seas, it can work fast and reliably.

The type 187 special ship is 139 metres long and 38 metres wide. It has a draught of 5.70 metres and a speed of 12 knots. The Neuenfelder Maschinenfabrik (NMF) will equip the ship with an offshore special crane which can lift a 900-ton load with a reach of 30 metres and work at a height of about 120 metres above the water. The jack-up vessel will accommodate 74 crew members during its deployment in wind energy fields.

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Offshore WIND staff, April 03, 2012; Image: Schellenberg & Kirchberg