Oslo-listed shipowners Cadeler and Seaway 7 have revealed big new contract wins worth hundreds of millions of dollars as more offshore wind farms get the go-ahead.
Germany’s Vestas has booked a Cadeler vessel for the He Dreiht project in the German North Sea.
BW Group-backed Cadeler will install and transport 64 new “record-breaking” 15 MW Vestas turbines, the shipping company said.
Work is set to start in the second quarter of 2025 and will be finished by the end of the year.
The contract will be executed by one of Cadeler’s two O-class vessels, which will feature a new crane with a lifting capacity of 1,600 tonnes at a radius of 40 metres.
The He Dreiht project will be operated on a subsidy-free basis by Germany’s EnBW.
Germany’s political ambitions to produce 20 GW of offshore wind energy by 2030 call for ground-breaking technology, Cadeler said.
“Thankfully Vestas is able to offer the needed solutions to reach these targets while Cadeler will play its part to make the plans a reality,” the owner added.
The wind farm will be situated in German waters, 90km north-west of Borkum.
The preferred supplier agreement was signed in November of last year and has now been turned into a conditional order agreement.
Excited about new crane capacity
Cadeler chief executive Mikkel Gleerup said: “This project builds on the positive collaboration we have had with Vestas for years.”
“We are excited to see how our newbuild cranes will come in use when we install turbines of these record sizes and demonstrate the extensive know-how and experience of our on and offshore team, as well as superior capabilities of our upgraded O-class vessels,” he added.
Vestas and Cadeler are currently successfully collaborating on the Seagreen project, Scotland’s largest wind farm.
Oslo-listed Seaway 7, backed by investors Kristian Siem and Arne Blystad, said it had also clinched a “very large” deal worth between $500m and $750m as a preferred supplier for Seagreen 1A, next to the existing wind farm it is working on.
36 foundations needed
This involves 500 MW of additional renewable energy generation capacity.
Final negotiations are taking place, and work may include the full engineering, fabrication, transport and installation of 36 foundations, Seaway 7 said.
The project is expected to begin in 2023, with offshore work starting in late 2024.
Stuart Fitzgerald, CEO of Seaway 7, said: “We are delighted to be continuing our successful relationship with SSE Renewables and TotalEnergies to progress the Seagreen 1A project.”
“The project will continue to be managed from our office in Aberdeen where we are bringing over a decade of UK offshore wind expertise to Scotland’s largest offshore wind project.”
