NOV has signed a contract with COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry and Cadeler to supply two GustoMSC NG-20000X self-propelled wind turbine installation jack-up vessel designs. They will be known as the Cadeler X-Class and are said to have the largest jacking capacity in the industry and are ready for 20+ MW wind turbines.
The X-Class is designed with 5600 m2 of deck space and a carrying capacity of more than 17,600 tonnes. This new hybrid, DNV certified, cyber-secure jack-up vessel is designed to transport and install seven complete 15 MW turbine sets or five sets of 20+ MW turbines, a significant upgrade from prior designs. This expanded carrying capacity will reduce the number of vessel trips required per development and accelerate installation speed, thereby improving project economics while reducing the total carbon footprint of the installation process.
Also read: Cadeler orders next level offshore wind installation vessels
In addition to the overall jack-up design, NOV will supply the jacking system that lifts the vessel and cargo above the waterline to safely install wind turbines. The jacking systems will incorporate NOV’s proprietary advanced regenerative power system technology that will provide fuel savings and emission reductions.
The first NG-20000X jack-up vessel is contracted for one of the largest offshore wind farms in the world – RWE’s 1.4 GW Sofia wind park – and is scheduled for delivery in the third quarter of 2024.
‘The expansion of our fleet is an important strategic priority for Cadeler to ensure that we can meet the demand we are seeing from clients for greater installation capacity,’ says Mikkel Gleerup, CEO of Cadeler A/S. ‘In order to provide energy efficient vessels with very advanced technical specifications, we need to ensure that the new vessels will be as cutting-edge as the turbines we will be installing.’
O-Class upgrade
In parallel, NOV is supplying new heavy-lift cranes for Cadeler’s existing O-Class vessels, the Wind Orca and Wind Osprey, to upgrade the existing fleet’s capabilities to handle the next-generation of turbines. With the upgraded O-Class and new X-Class vessels, Cadeler says its fleet will lead the industry in both loading capacity and the ability to transport, service, and install the next-generation offshore wind turbines.
Also read: Cadeler secures largest contract in history
