Cadeler firms up long-term vessel deal with Ørsted

Denmark-based Cadeler has inked a firm long-term vessel deal with compatriot utility Ørsted for one of its wind farm installation newbuilds.

Under the agreement, the BW Group and Scorpio-backed shipowner will provide Ørsted with a hybrid-design unit capable of installing both foundations and turbines.

The Ørsted deal dates back to October 2022, when the duo linked up to utilise the vessel being built by Cosco Heavy Industries for up to four years.

The newbuild, already booked to install turbine foundations at Ørsted’s Hornsea Three offshore wind farm, commencing in 2026, has now been fixed from the first quarter of 2027 through to the end of 2030.

“Securing long-term capacity with strategic suppliers is key for Ørsted to build collaboration and together manage risks and execution of our offshore wind construction program towards 2030 and beyond,” said Patrick Harnett, chief of operations at Ørsted.

The vessel has been designed to transport up to six XXL monopile foundations per round trip and can be converted to a wind turbine installation unit fit to carry and install seven complete 15 MW turbine sets per load or five 20 MW+ turbines, reducing the number of trips required for each project.

“We have ambitiously invested and poured our unique know-how into our newbuild wind turbine installation vessels to create security in our part of the value chain. And we’re ready to handle the largest and most complex next-generation offshore wind installation projects,” noted Mikkel Gleerup, CEO of Cadeler.