- Installation jackup vessel installs 87 turbines on largest offshore windfarm
- Total installed turbines could power nearly 1.4million homes*
17th May 2018: The world’s largest and most advanced installation jackup vessel has successfully completed work on the biggest offshore windfarm project in the Irish Sea, with its operators reaching an installation milestone.
Scylla, owned and operated by world leading offshore installation and maintenance contractor Seajacks, recently finished installing 87 turbines on the Walney Extension windfarm off the Cumbrian coast.
The vessel began work at Walney Extension, which once operational will be the world’s biggest offshore windfarm, on the 1st August 2017 and completed installation of 40 MHI Vestas 8MW turbines and 47 Siemens Gamesa 7MW turbines on 24th April 2018. Having originally been contracted to install all the turbines in 246 days, Scylla completed work four weeks ahead of schedule.
Delivered in October 2015, Scylla is a state of the art wind turbine foundation and installation vessel specifically designed for deep water and large windfarm components and is the only ship capable of installing 12MW+ turbines at a single time. Fitted with 105 metre long legs, she has the ability to install components in water depths of up to 65 metres.
The Walney Extension, a shared ownership project between renewable energy provider Ørsted and Danish pension funds PFA and PKA, is located approximately 19km from the Walney Island coast in Cumbria and once operational will have a total capacity of 659MW, capable of powering over 500,000 UK homes.
The completion of work at the Walney Extension also means that Seajacks’ fleet of five vessels has successfully installed enough turbines to power close to 1.4million homes.*
Blair Ainslie, CEO of Seajacks, said: “Scylla is a truly one-of-a-kind vessel. Her size and technical capabilities mean she is perfectly suited for large scale offshore wind projects, which she has demonstrated through her work on the Walney Extension.
“All of us at Seajacks are incredibly proud of Scylla and the crew’s performance throughout the project. To finish work on the site ahead of schedule is a real crowning achievement for everyone in the company and we very much look forward to working on future offshore wind projects and further harnessing Scylla’s vast capabilities.”
About Seajacks
Seajacks UK is an East Anglian based offshore installation company committed to building the world’s most advanced and versatile fleet of self-propelled jack-up vessels equipped to service the demands of the offshore wind industry. Its offshore crews work in full conjunction with all of its clients, looking to provide the most cost-effective solutions in the safest environments possible.
Seajacks UK has a fleet of 5 GustoMSC designed vessels, all capable of installing and maintaining offshore wind farms in harsh conditions. The fleet includes Seajacks Kraken, Seajacks Leviathan, Seajacks Hydra, Seajacks Zaratan and Seajacks Scylla, which between them have a track record of over 300 wind turbine installations, providing an effective solution to the installation and maintenance of offshore wind turbines and foundations.
