Sharing knowhow in offshore wind construction
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Offshore wind energy gets busy on the Humber

By Andy Reay, A2SEA Regional Manager for the UK

The Humber may not be that long as rivers go (just 59 kilometres from one end to the other), but its lack of length isn’t about to stop it being one of the busiest spots in offshore wind energy next year. In fact, the area will be home to both operations & maintenance projects, as well as considerably more offshore construction, too.

Actually, the Humber isn’t a river at all. Situated on the east coast of northern England and flowing into the North Sea, it’s a tidal estuary formed where the River Trent and the River Ouse meet each other. In 2017, for the first time, A2SEA will be bringing two jack-up vessels to the area, kicking off two new projects that will see components being loaded out from Siemens’ new £160 million turbine blade manufacturing, project construction, assembly and service facility at Green Port Hull.

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Success is: Being in the right spot at the right time

By Klaus Holm Nissen, Project Manager, A2SEA

SEA INSTALLER and her crew have just installed the eighteenth of 32 MHI Vestas V164-8.0 MW turbines at Burbo Bank Extension. So far, we’ve made excellent progress, despite having to work with a lot of new, specialised lifting equipment for these large components. With the learning curves behind us, and if the weather continues to cooperate as nicely as it has to date, we expect to be finished mid to late December.

This is the first time we’ve installed a MHI Vestas V164-8.0 MW turbine. Yet the task presents relatively few challenges for us. Perhaps the most difficult part of the project, seen from A2SEA’s point of view, is the sea bed in the area. With a lot of clay and sand, as well as some silt, it’s a tricky task to jack up securely. That kind of surface composition can be very sticky, which initially had us thinking we might have problems retracting the legs. But it didn’t turn out to be much of a problem. There were, of course, some extended pre-load periods in order for us to compress the soil sufficiently and make sure it was able to support the vessel – even in a storm.

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First MHI Vestas 8MW turbine installed

By Jens Frederik Hansen, CEO, A2SEA

On September 8, SEA INSTALLER successfully installed the first of the MHI Vestas V164-8 MW turbines – the largest offshore wind turbines ever sold for commercial operation – at the Burbo Bank Extension project. The project will add round 258 MW of capacity and stretches over 40 square kilometres.

Installing these turbines is nothing short of fantastic, and we are very pleased to work with MHI Vestas again. The preparation for the project was smooth and professional and the whole experience to date has been very positive. We look forward to installing more of these enormous turbines during the rest of this project and in others to come.

Read more about the project here.

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All set – ready to go

All eyes are on Borkum Riffgrund 1, the 78-turbine DONG Energy wind farm for which both A2SEA and CT Offshore have been busily preparing. Located 37 kilometres to the north of the island of Borkum, the first monopile foundation for Borkum Riffgrund 1 wind farm was installed on 21 January 2014. Now, with foundations and transition pieces in place, it’s time for the teams at A2SEA and CT Offshore to swing into action, executing plans that have been carefully laid over many months. Continue reading →

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View from the bridge

For Brian Bendixen, the three years he has worked at A2SEA have been quite an adventure. In that time, he has had the helm on SEA JACK, SEA WORKER and SEA INSTALLER, and now heads up operations aboard the latest addition to the A2SEA fleet, SEA CHALLENGER.

Before joining A2SEA, Brian worked in the oil industry, with his last two years in that industry as a ship’s master for product tankers, which move refined oil products from refineries to points near consuming markets. Continue reading →

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Steady as she goes

Heavy lift supervisor Gaynor Horner hails from Northern Ireland, just outside Belfast. He has been lifting around the world for the past 20 years, including lengthy periods in Oman, Dubai, and the North Sea.

These days, you’ll find him on board SEA WORKER, keeping a watchful eye (“Like a hawk”) on every lifting task, but he has also worked with SEA JACK back in 2011, and more recently with SEA INSTALLER during mobilisation in the Netherlands. Continue reading →

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Welcome aboard: Kirsten Bank Christensen

On 1 September, Kirsten Bank Christensen started as Head of Group HSEQ at A2SEA. Kirsten has been working with onshore, offshore, construction and service projects in the wind turbine industry since 1996. For the past one and a half years, Kirsten has worked in a similar position in Hamburg, Germany, as HSEQ Director for SAL Heavy Lift.

At A2SEA, Kirsten’s particular focus is on the strategic and operational development of the HSEQ area – accelerating A2SEA’s objective of becoming an HSEQ point of reference within the industry. Continue reading →