Jan De Nul has launched Les Alizés, its next generation floating offshore installation vessel for offshore renewables and decommissioning, at the CMHI Haimen shipyard in China. Once delivered, it will be the largest heavy lift vessel in the company’s fleet, able to install XXL offshore wind components, in floating conditions and with ultra-low emissions.
The launch started on 2nd January by flooding the dry dock in which Les Alizés was built. Once afloat, Les Alizés was moored alongside the adjacent quay wall. On 5 January, the official launching ceremony took place at the shipyard, in the presence of the shipyard management and Jan De Nul Group representatives. Watch a timelapse video of the launch below.
The final phase of the vessel’s construction can now begin, including sea trials. Les Alizés is due for delivery in H2 2022 in good time for its first assignment in Germany for the construction of Gode Wind 3 and Borkum Riffgrund 3 Offshore Wind Farms, transporting and installing 107 monopile foundations for offshore wind major Ørsted.
‘The construction of our offshore floating installation vessel Les Alizés is well on track,’ says Philippe Hutse, Director Offshore Division at Jan De Nul Group. ‘We can look forward to delivery later this year, so that we can continue to build the future of offshore renewable energy. Together with our offshore jack-up installation vessel Voltaire, which is also under construction in China, we will have the perfect set of offshore installation vessels that will be able to install current and future generations of offshore wind farms.’
Also read: Jan De Nul orders monopile installation system for floating installation vessel Les Alizés
Les Alizés features
Les Alizés is equipped with a crane having a lifting capacity of 5,000 tons and equally impressive lifting heights.
Following its order at the end of 2019, the design of Les Alizés has been further fine-tuned. The vessel is taking shape thanks to the investments in innovative mission equipment, enabling Jan De Nul to offer solutions for the next generation offshore wind installation challenges while improving safety and efficiency:
- An innovative crane with Universal Quick Connector (UQC): This crane will be among the largest in its class. The crane will utilise a Universal Quick Connector (UQC), developed by Huisman.
- An innovative motion-compensated pile gripper: The highly advanced electrical gripper, with an integrated guidance and survey system, will allow safe and efficient installation of next-generation monopiles with pin-point accuracy.
- A fully automated monopile handling system: The tailor-made system consists of a set of cradles, a skidding system and an upending hinge to handle and install XXL monopiles. It is ideally suited to work in challenging weather conditions and high sea states.
The Universal Quick Connector, the innovative Motion-Compensated Pile Gripper and the fully automated Monopile Installation System mean there is no manual deck intervention during installation.
Also read: Keel laid for Jan De Nul’s new floating offshore installation vessel
Ultra-Low Emission vessel
In order to reduce the vessel’s CO2 emissions, the power plant on board is a hybrid setup. The arrangement combines diesel-driven generators with battery and drive technology to optimise engine loading and to recover the potential energy returned from the heavy lift crane. To further reduce the carbon footprint of installation activities, the ultra-low emission vessel can run on second-generation biodiesel that is said to reduce the fuel carbon footprint by up to ninety per cent.
As an ultra-low emission vessel, Les Alizés is equipped with a highly advanced dual exhaust filter system, removing up to 99 per cent of nanoparticles from emissions using a diesel particulate filter (DPF) and reducing the NOx emissions and other pollutants by means of a selective catalytic reduction system (SCR) to levels in accordance with EU Stage V regulation. Les Alizés and Voltaire will be the first two seaworthy installation vessels in the world with extremely low emissions.
Also read: Jan De Nul vessels equipped with new filter to prevent emissions
