The first offshore elements for Hornsea Two offshore wind farm have started an epic 50 day journey to site, sailing around three continents.
Jackets for the offshore substation and reactive compensation station - together formed from more than 10,000 tonnes of steelwork - have left Batam in Indonesia for what will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm off the East Yorkshire coast.
The Dutch-registered 173m by 42m heavy transport vessel Big Lift Barentsz has set sail from the island via the Singapore Strait, with a course plotted via the Indian Ocean, around the Cape of Good Hope and up the west coast of Africa, via the South and North Atlantic, before entering the English Channel and finally the North Sea.
The two elements will hold significant platforms that transform and then maintain the voltage of the electricity generated by the turbines - with a capacity of 1.4GW taking it beyond ‘little’ sister Hornsea One.
Both jackets were loaded on board over a number of weeks, with more than 3.3 million lost time injury-free hours clocked up.
Patrick Harnett, senior programme director for Ørsted, said: “Our project teams have overcome some exceptional challenges in order for this vessel to successfully set sail. I am immensely proud of each person who has played their part in the safe construction of this impressive steelwork and look forward to welcoming this vessel to UK waters in the near future.”
Orsted has just launched its biggest recruitment drive yet in the farm’s home port of Grimsby for technicians to serve both the 1.4GW Hornsea Two and others operated and maintained from the East Coast Hub.
Blades are being built in Hull, with turbine assembly also at the Humber port.
