A mega monopile installation machine

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF DEME.

On 29 April, the vessel received its ofcial naming ceremony. In a traditional Deme naming ceremony, Amélie Michel, spouse of

European Council President Charles Michel and godmother of this unique new vessel, wished Orion and the crew a safe and successful career in the feet. The 216.5m DP3 ofshore installation vessel was built by the Cosco Qidong shipyard in China. C-Job Naval Architects co-created the concept design of Orion with Deme. Orion is a front runner in the industry. It is efectively a mega monopile installation machine, equipped with a tailor-made, motion compensated gripper system able to handle enormous foundations of up to 2,500t. >>

Type Classifcation Length Breadth Ofshore Heavy Lift DP3 Installation Vessel Det Norske Veritas & Germanischer Lloyd 216.50m 49.00m

Depth Crane capacity Auxiliary crane

Dynamic positioning Propulsion

Installed power Pay load (max) Free deck area

16.80m 5,000t 1,500t DP3 4 x 4,500kW Azimuth Thrusters 2 x 4,200kW Retractable Thrusters 2 x 2,500kW Tunnel Thrusters 44,190kW (Dual Fuel) 30,000t 8,000m² Operating draft (max) 11.00m Accommodation 160 persons (extendable to 239 persons) Helideck installed Moonpools space claim for 19,6m x 10,5m Auxiliary crane 2 x 100t, knuckle boom, manriding

Jan Gabriël, Head Newbuild Department at Deme shares about the innovative nature of the vessel, “Orion has an integrated motion compensated pile gripper (MCPG), which has been designed by DEME’s and Huisman’s expert engineers. Together with the Orion’s DP3 capability, the MCPG allows the monopiles to remain vertical and stable during installation in the seabed, despite waves and motions of the vessel, and essentially, to be installed without the use of mooring anchors.” Mr Gabriël continues, “With these innovative technologies and the ability to transport the new giant turbines, jackets, and components in a single shipment, the vessel will speed up installation times drastically, making it an extremely cost-efective solution for wind farm developers.” Sustainability considerations are also a vital part of the vessel’s design. Mr Gabriël adds, “Orion has dual fuel engines enabling it to run on LNG or alternative clean fuels, a Green Passport, and Clean Design notation. Another environmental innovation is a waste heat recovery system that converts heat from the exhaust gases to electrical energy. The evaporation of LNG also cools the accommodation with a cold recovery system.”

Last year, Parkwind awarded Deme Ofshore with an EPCI contract for the foundations at the Arcadis Ost 1 ofshore wind farm in the German Baltic Sea, with Deme saying the company would deploy Orion for the task. Recently, the vessel successfully installed the frst XXL monopiles at the ofshore wind farm. With a length of 110m, the monopiles are the largest monopile foundations ever built in Europe, weighing more than 2,000t each. The Arcadis Ost 1 project will be followed by a decommissioning project in the UK. Orion will also be deployed for the installation of 176 foundations at the Coastal Virginia Ofshore Wind Farm in the US, one of the largest ofshore wind developments in the world.

In addition to Orion, Green Jade, will be the second of these exceptional vessels to enter the Deme feet. Both Orion and Green Jade bring a game-changing installation concept to the ofshore energy market. They have an unrivalled combination of load capacity, impressive lifting heights, and green technology. Owned by CDWE, a joint venture between CSBC, the largest shipbuilder in Taiwan, and Deme Ofshore, Green Jade is the frst foating, DP3 ofshore installation vessel to be built in Taiwan.