Cadeler Orders Second F-Class Jack-Up, Says Market Demand Strong

November 22, 2022, by Adnan Durakovic

Cadeler has placed an order to build its second F-class wind farm installation vessel (WFIV) at COSCO Heavy Industries in China.

The latest newbuild will bring the number of vessels in Cadeler’s fleet to six, with the two existing O-class vessels, Wind Osprey and Wind Orca, two X-class vessels under construction, and the two F-class newbuilds.

The global demand for offshore wind capacity and technological developments resulting in increasingly larger wind turbines calls for large installation vessels, the Danish vessel owner and operator said.

Similar to her sister vessel, this F-class jack-up will feature a hybrid design allowing the vessel to convert from being a foundation installation unit to a wind turbine generator installation vessel within a short period of time.

The two X-class vessels and the first F-class vessel are set to be delivered from the first half of 2024 onwards.

The new F-class vessel is expected to be delivered in the second half of 2026. All vessels will be built by COSCO Heavy Industries in Qidong, China, and will sail under the Danish flag.

Cadeler has been able to achieve a very competitive price due to a strong collaboration that the company has built with COSCO Heavy Industries, synergies from building several similar designed jack-ups, and negotiating the option for a second F-class seven months ago, the company said.

It has been agreed between the parties not to disclose the final price of the contract due to these special circumstances.

”Due to our solid partnership with Cadeler and our strong order book of Cadeler jack-up vessels, we have been able to offer Cadeler a unique deal in the industry. We are honoured that Cadeler continues to see us as a strategic business partner that can deliver the state-of-the-art vessels that the market requires,” said YuJian, Commercial Director from COSCO Shipping (Qidong) Offshore.

The second F-class vessel will be built on similar specifications to the first F-class vessel, with a deck space of 5,600 square metres, a payload of more than 17,600 tons, and a main crane capacity to be disclosed at a later date.

Both the X- and F-class vessels will be able to transport and install seven complete 15 MW turbine sets per load or six sets of 2XL monopile foundations, cutting down the number of transits needed for each project. In line with the X-class vessels, the F-class will cater to some of the largest dimensions in the offshore wind industry.

The X- and F-class vessels are built in close cooperation with Cadeler’s strategic partners, which include GustoMSC NOV, Kongsberg, Huisman, and MAN Energy.

”The decision to build another F-class vessel is based on the strong market demand for assets specialising in installing foundations,” Cadeler’s CEO, Mikkel Gleerup, said.

”Our yet-to-be-build F-class vessels have already been sought after by our customers. As announced in August, we have signed a firm contract with Ørsted and have also entered a long-term agreement with an undisclosed customer booking the F-class from 2027 to 2030. These commitments are only possible because our clients believe in our abilities to meet their demands with increased flexibility and to offer state-of-the-art vessels that are fit to meet requirements from a fast-growing market.”