30.05.2019

Third installation vessel for Jan De Nul

Belgian/Luxembourg based Jan De Nul group placed an order for its third offshore jack‐up installation vessel with China’s Cosco Shipping Heavy Industry.

The new vessel , which will be named the Voltaire will be equipped with a 3,000 tonne capacity crane, and have a transport payload of 14,000 tonnes, as such it will be the largest in the company’s fleet and largely used for the installation of the latest offshore wind turbines. It will also be one of the most environmentally craft afloat, with Euro Stage V compliant engines, a Selective Catalytic Reduction system and Diesel Particulate Filters.

The Voltaire was designed by Jan De Nul while Denmark’s Knud E. Hansen carried out a full design review and contributed to the tender design package using experience gained from designing the wind turbine installation vessels Pacific Orca and Pacific Osprey for Swire Blue Ocean. Hansen also provided the designs for the midship section, the three chord truss jack up legs, the jacking frames, the leg wells and the main crane pedestal as well as all of the calculations for the hull, legs and jacking frames.
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An artist’s impression of the new jack up vessel

Offshore director Philippe Hutse said: “Upon her delivery in 2022, we will be capable of efficiently installing the next generation of offshore wind turbine generators and foundations. This investment is a logical step forward in the development of our offshore wind capacities. The third jack-up vessel will enable us to cope with our increased number of offshore wind projects worldwide. In addition, we recognize the global trend towards larger wind turbines for increased green energy demands. The Voltaire will have all the required specifications to meet the upcoming challenges.”