Cadeler's 'Wind Orca' to Sport New Crane for Largest Offshore Wind Turbines of the Future

Offshore wind turbine installation company Cadeler, until recently known as Swire Blue Ocean, has ordered a new crane for its Wind Orca vessel, to prepare it for the giant offshore wind turbines of the future.

The company has signed a contract with National Oilwell Varco to install a new crane on the wind turbine installation vessel Wind Orca and retains the option for delivery of a crane on vessel Wind Osprey.

The new crane will have a lifting capacity of 1600 metric tons at a radius of 40 meters, with the main hook at a height of 159.7 meters above the main deck. This is a substantial upgrade of the vessel capacity today (1200 metric tons lifting capacity at a radius of 31 meters) and will enable the installation of next-generation offshore wind turbines.

"The offshore market is moving towards the installation of larger next-generation wind turbines with capacity ratings exceeding 14MW, which requires improved crane lifting capacity from the vessels used to install, operate, and maintain offshore wind turbines," Cadeler said.

The crane replacement on Wind Orca is expected to be initiated in October 2023 with completion in March 2024. 

The total sum of the contract for the replacement of cranes on both vessels is $102 million, including the decommissioning of the old cranes, as well as the design, manufacturing, and installation of the new cranes. The cost will be financed by the Company’s cash flow over the years from 2021 to 2024.

Mikkel Gleerup, CEO of Cadeler, said: “As we communicated in connection with our listing earlier in the year, replacement of cranes on our existing vessels is an important strategic priority for Cadeler. Our vessels are already amongst the best in the industry, but the contracted new and improved cranes will solidify our position as a key supplier within the offshore wind industry. 

"As the market for offshore wind is growing significantly, we intend to put Cadeler in the position to meet the expectations of the market and clients in the coming years for best-in-class installation vessels. We are therefore very pleased with today’s announcement, with which we are delivering on an important part of our strategy for the benefit of our clients and investors”.

The company says the market for offshore wind turbine installation is evolving rapidly, with an expected compound annual growth rate exceeding 13 percent through 2030. 

"Focus, at present, in the industry, is moving towards the installation of larger next-generation wind turbines with a capacity rating exceeding 14MW. Cadeler already has one such project in its order backlog," the company said. 

Worth noting, earlier on Friday, GE said it had secured an order for what will be the first deployment of its upscaled 14MW Haliade-X wind turbine. The turbines will be delivered to the Dogger Bank C offshore wind farm in the UK. Also, Siemens Gamesa is working on wind turbines with up to 15MW capacity.