Seaqualize, a Dutch heave compensation specialist, has signed its first contract with DEME for their newly developed offshore lifting device, the Heave Chief 1100.
To move sensitive wind turbine parts to and from heaving supply vessels, DEME Offshore US will use the HC1100 on Vineyard Wind, the nation’s first commercial-scale wind farm construction project. The largest active heave compensator in the world right now is the HC1100. Despite being battery-powered, it functions as a Balanced Heave Compensator (BHC) and can securely quick-lift loads of up to 1100mT.
Working together, Seaqualize and DEME Offshore have created a revolutionary tool that enables a feeder-barge idea that complies with the Jones Act. It is a challenging operation to lift sensitive wind turbine parts while offshore from feeder-barges to an installation vessel. This type of activity necessitates the use of a new, cutting-edge lifting tool and must be completed safely, effectively, often, and in adverse weather conditions.
Vineyard Wind
By transporting and putting in place 62 wind turbine generators for the Vineyard Wind 1 project, the country’s first offshore wind installation on a commercial scale, DEME Offshore will be the first contractor to start such an operation. Each turbine will be delivered to DEME’s installation vessel Sea Installer in individual components from the supply seaport. In order to ensure that the components can be safely lifted from the leaning supply barges and that the project can proceed despite adverse weather, DEME Offshore US contracted the HC1100.
Seaqualize Heave Chief 1100
In order to better serve the offshore wind sector, the HC1100 has an enhanced design. It has a higher load capacity of 1100mT, which is almost 7 jumbo planes, and is needed to balance the turbine parts of the 15MW generating.
It has a longer stroke and higher quick-lift rates to accommodate the stronger movements of smaller supply vessels. For improved operational efficiency, it also provides a single lift point. The new design includes passive safety precautions and reduces the impact of dynamic load changes on the crane even further. Delivery is anticipated for March 2023.
Image source: Seaqualize
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