Giant jack-up marks a wind farm installation milestone

Seajacks Scylla

MAY 17, 2017 — Wind farm installation specialist Seajacks UK reports that its largest and most advanced installation jack-up vessel, Seajacks Scylla, has successfully completed work on the biggest offshore wind farm project in the Irish Sea, installing 87 turbines on the Walney Extension farm off the Cumbrian coast. This marked a milestone for Seajacks, with its fleet having now installed enough turbines to power nearly 1.4million homes. 

The vessel began work at Walney Extension on August 1, 2017 and completed installation of 40 MHI Vestas 8 MW turbines and 47 Siemens Gamesa 7 MW turbines on April 24, 2018 — four weeks ahead of schedule.

Delivered by shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries in October 2015, the GustoMSC NG14000X design Scylla is the largest of Seajack’s five installation vessels.

Specifically designed for deep water and large windfarm components, she is the only ship capable of installing 12 MW+ turbines at a single time. Fitted with 105 m long legs, she has the ability to install components in water depths of up to 65 metres.

“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,” said Seajacks CEO Blair Ainslie. “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.”

The Walney Extension, a shared ownership project between renewable energy provider Ørsted and Danish pension funds PFA and PKA, is located approximately 19 km from the Walney Island coast in Cumbria, U.K., and once operational will have a total capacity of 659 MW, capable of powering over 500,000 U.K. homes.