DEME Takes CAPE Holland Equipment to US for Monopile Installation Offshore Virginia

Equipment

April 17, 2024, by Adrijana Buljan

Dutch company CAPE Holland has secured a contract with DEME for foundation installation equipment that will be used at the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project site in the US.

A photo of CAPE VLT-640 Quad equipment up close before being fitted on vessel deck — CAPE Holland

Under the contract, CAPE Holland, part of Venterra Group, has provided its CAPE VLT-640 Quad spread and a separate CAPE VLT-640 unit to the Belgian offshore construction contractor.

As reported earlier this week, DEME’s vessel Orion is en route to the US from Scotland, where it was deployed for monopile installation on the Moray West offshore wind farm, for which DEME also utilised CAPE Holland’s equipment. Jan Klaassen, Business Unit Director Americas at DEME Offshore said that the “combined technology of the Vibro Hammer and Impact Hammer will also be used on the CVOW project.”

The DP3 installation vessel Orion is scheduled to start installing 176 monopiles at the CVOW project site in May, according to an update from Dominion Energy on 16 April.

According to CAPE Holland, its installation equipment is already mobilised on deck.

The monopiles for the 2.6 GW CVOW, set to be the biggest US offshore wind farm and one of the biggest in the world, have a diameter of 8.5 metres and weigh up to 1,500 tonnes.

They will be driven through the first layers of the sea floor using the CAPE Vibro Lifting Tool, mitigating the risk of pile run. The monopiles will then be driven to final penetration using an impact hammer. The CAPE VLT-640 Quad system will be accompanied by a separate CAPE VLT-640 unit to facilitate the pile-run-free installation of jacket pin piles for the wind farm’s three offshore substations, according to CAPE Holland.

The installation equipment provider also said that, in addition to its technical ability, the CAPE Vibro Lifting Technology offered a quieter and more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional pile driving methods.

Kai Fiand, Sales Manager at CAPE Holland, said: “We are honored to have earned DEME’s trust in providing this crucial equipment to enhance the safety and efficiency of their pile installation operations. This contract underscores our commitment to being part of one of the first U.S. offshore wind ventures that utilizes the CAPE Vibro Lifting Technology.”

Alongside CAPE Holland, other Venterra Group companies are also involved in the CVOW project, including INSPIRE Environmental which is providing post-construction marine growth monitoring on structures and benthic monitoring on the research project turbines.

Dominion Energy’s 2.6 GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind will have 176 Siemens Gamesa 14 MW wind turbines and is expected to be in full operation in 2026.