BigLift Shipping transports last monopiles & TPs for Akita Noshiro OWF in Japan

Dutch BigLift Shipping’s flagship mv Happy Star is currently underway with the last load of monopiles and transition pieces for the Akita Noshiro offshore wind project in Japan. The vessel is due to arrive next week.

With 139 MW, the Akita Noshiro project is Japan’s first large-scale offshore wind project. The project comprises two sites off Akita Port and Noshiro Port. In total 33 Vestas V117-4.2 MW typhoon variant turbines are being installed; 13 at the Akita site and 20 at the Noshiro site. The wind farms are scheduled to be operational in 2022.

Kajima Corporation is the EPCI contractor for the project. In March 2020, the Japanese company awarded Sif Group the definite contract to produce the monopiles and transition pieces (TPs) for the project. The monopiles are produced at Sif’s Maasvlakte 2 facility while the transition pieces are produced by Smulders in Hoboken, Belgium. UK Seajacks will install the foundations.

Last load of foundation components
Several vessels are used to transport the monopiles and the TPs to Japan. The first transport started in December 2020. SAL Heavy Lift’s MV Lone transported 9 monopiles. Hamburg-based United Heavy Lift was contracted for the transportation of 20 monopiles and 22 transition pieces.

Kajima Corporation contracted BigLift Shipping in Amsterdam to transport the remaining 4 monopiles and 11 TPs. With a very short lead time, grillage and saddles were designed and manufactured by BigLift Shipping, all in accordance to project requirements. The monopiles and TPs were transported in one load. The Happy Star left Rotterdam on 29 January and is expected to arrive sometime next week. Click here for a short movie. Source: BigLift Shipping

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