Danish offshore wind installation services firm Cadeler has ordered its second F-class vessel, a hybrid design allowing the vessel to convert from being a foundation installation unit to a wind turbine generator installation vessel within a short period of time.
This is the sixth vessel that Cadeler will have in its fleet, tripling its number of vessels.
Cadeler is currently building two X-class as well as an F-class vessel, which are set to be delivered from the second half of 2024 on.
The new F-class vessel is expected to be delivered in the second half of 2026. All vessels will be built by COSCO Heavy Industries in Qidong, China, and will sail under Danish flag.
"The global demand for offshore wind capacity and technological developments resulting in increasingly larger wind turbines calls for large installation vessels," Cadeler said.
"Cadeler has been able to achieve a very competitive price due to a strong collaboration that the company has built with COSCO Heavy Industries, synergies from building several similar designed jack-ups and negotiating the option for a second F-class seven months ago. It has been agreed between the parties not to disclose the final price of the contract due to these special circumstances," Cadeler said.
“Due to our solid partnership with Cadeler and our strong order book of Cadeler jack-up vessels, we have been able to offer Cadeler a unique deal in the industry. We are honored that Cadeler continues to see us as a strategic business partner that can deliver the state-of-the-art vessels that the market requires”, says YuJian, Commercial Director from COSCO Shipping (Qidong) Offshore.
The F-class
The second F-class vessel will be built on similar specifications to the first F-class vessel, with a deck space of 5,600m2, a payload of more than 17,600 tons, and a main crane capacity to be disclosed at a later date. The price of the first F-Class vessel, ordered in May,is around $345 million.
"Both the X- and F-class vessels are today unmatched within the industry. The vessels will be able to transport and install seven complete 15MW turbine sets per load or six sets of 2XL monopile foundations, cutting down the number of transits needed for each project. In line with the X-class vessels, the F-class will cater for some of the largest dimensions in the offshore wind industry," Cadeler said.
The X- and F-class vessels are being built in cooperation with Cadeler’s strategic partners, which include GustoMSC NOV, Kongsberg, Huisman and MAN Energy.
Cadeler’s CEO, Mikkel Gleerup says: “The decision to build another F-class vessel is based on the strong market demand for assets specialising in installing foundations.
"Our yet-to-be-build F-class vessels have already been sought after by our customers. As announced in August, we have signed a firm contract with Ørsted and have also entered a long-term agreement with an undisclosed customer booking the F-class from 2027 to 2030.
"These commitments are only possible because our clients believe in our abilities to meet their demands with increased flexibility and to offer state-of-the-art vessels that are fit to meet requirements from a fast-growing market.”