Revolutionary Orion

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF DEME.

From there on, the vessel is being prepared for its frst project and it received its ofcial naming ceremony, which took place on 29 April. Deme is honoured that Mrs Amélie Michel, spouse of Mr Charles Michel, President of the European Council, has agreed to be the godmother of this unique new vessel. In a traditional Deme naming ceremony, Mrs Michel wished Orion and the crew a safe and successful career in the feet. Equipped with a 5,000t crane and a Motion Compensated Pile Gripper, Orion is designed to handle the next generation of wind farm components, the vessel owner pointed out.

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. The 216.5m DP3 ofshore installation vessel was built by the Cosco Qidong shipyard in China, where it was launched in November 2018 and later sailed out to move to Rostock where it was outftted with the 5,000t crane. C-Job Naval Architects cocreated the concept design of Orion with Deme. Orion is a front runner in the industry, it is efectively a mega monopile installation machine, and is equipped with a tailor-made, motion compensated gripper system able to handle enormous foundations of up to 2,500t.

In the Port of Rostock, Orion underwent its frst liquid natural gas (LNG) bunkering in >>

January 2020, when the world’s largest LNG bunker vessel Kairos supplied the ofshore wind vessel with LNG, which also marked the frst ship-to-ship LNG bunkering operation to take place at the Port of Rostock and the second such operation to be performed in Germany. Orion, which has dual-fuel engines and can run on LNG, will have a Green Passport and Clean Design notation.

On 29 April, Deme presented its new DP3 ofshore installation vessel ‘Orion’ in Nieuwdorp, the Netherlands and we received the unique opportunity to get a tour on board. 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 costefective 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.

Type Classifcation Length Breadth Depth

Crane capacity aux Dynamic positioning Propulsion

Installed power Pay load (max) Free deck area Operating draft (max) Accommodation Helideck Moonpools Auxiliary crane Ofshore Heavy Lift DP3 Installation Vessel Det Norske Veritas & Germanischer Lloyd 216.50m 49.00m 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 11.00m 160 persons (extendable to 239 persons) installed space claim for 19,6m x 10,5m 2 x 100t, knuckle boom, manriding

The evaporation of LNG also cools the accommodation with a cold recovery system.”

Orion’s Captain Jorg Eden proudly shares that Orion will shortly set sail for its frst project in Germany, where XL foundations will be installed at the Arcadis Ost 1 ofshore wind farm. This will be followed by a decommissioning project in the UK. The vessel 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, which we previewed in our last edition of ShipBuilding Industry, 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. With a 4,000t crane capacity, this pioneering vessel will enable CDWE and its customers to transport multiple jackets and foundation components for the new giant wind turbines in a single shipment, making it extremely cost efective.