The dredging, marine engineering and environmental player DEME Group, its 216.5-metre DP3 offshore installation vessel Orion was launched at the COSCO Qidong shipyard in China.
The vessel arrived at the Liebherr construction yard in the port of Rostock, Germany for the installation of the huge 5,000-tonne crane. This milestone marks the final phase in the construction process.
Construction of ‘Orion’ started in March 2018 and in April Liebherr immediately started work on the giant new crane. The high-tech crane will be assembled on the 800-tonne pedestal on board, which will also include a rigging store, deck workplace and several offices.
With a lifting capacity of 5,000 tonnes at more than 30 metres outreach the crane could lift nine fully loaded A380 airplanes in one go. Loads can be lifted to an unrivalled height of 180 m.
With this revolutionary DP3 offshore installation vessel, which will be one of the largest vessels in the world working in the sector, DEME will bring a game changing installation concept to the offshore energy market.
‘Orion’ will feature an unrivalled combination of exceptionally high transport and load capacity, impressive lifting heights and green technology. The vessel will be deployed for the construction of the largest offshore wind farms, to service the oil and gas industry and for the decommissioning of offshore installations.
‘Orion’ can take the heaviest monopiles, jackets, wind turbine components and structures in a single shipment, and can transport and install the next generation of multi-megawatt wind turbines.
This exceptional vessel will enable the industry to take a significant step forward in further reducing the costs of installing offshore wind foundations for example, as she combines strength with high levels of precision, being able to install the largest monopiles at sea while in DP3 mode.
Environmental considerations are also an important element of the vessel design. ‘Orion’ has dual fuel engines and can run on liquefied natural gas (LNG). It will have a Green Passport and Clean Design notation. Another environmental innovation is a waste heat recovery system that converts heat from the exhaust gases and cooling water to electrical energy.
‘Orion’ is expected to join the fleet in 2020 and will head straight to the Moray East offshore wind farm project in the UK for the installation of 103 jackets.