Boskalis will convert its semi-submersible heavy-lift vessel Forte into a crane vessel capable of lifting 4000 tonnes. The decision to go ahead with the conversion follows a new contract for the Taiwanese Changfang and Xidao offshore wind farm project owned by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners.
It is not the first time Boskalis converts one of its semi-submersible heavy lift vessels into a DP2 crane vessel. On 7 March 2017, Boskalis’ Finesse arrived at the Keppel Shipyard in Singapore for the same conversion. At the yard, a crane foundation and a large helicopter deck on the fore ship were installed. In addition, the accommodation was expanded to house a maximum of 150 people.
In September 2017, the Finesse was transferred as Bokalift 1 to BW Marine Cyprus Ltd., Limassol, and placed under the management of Boskalis Ctd – Offshore BV, Papendrecht, founded on 10 July 2017. When the preparatory work was completed, the Bokalift 1 left Singapore for Xiamen, where the ship arrived on 12 November 2017. There the 3000-tonne crane was placed on board by Huisman (China) Co. Ltd. On 8 December, the Bokalift 1 left the Chinese port of Zhangzhou and via Cape Town it set sail for Rotterdam, where the crane ship arrived in the Waalhaven in Rotterdam on 19 February 2018.
The Forte will now undergo the same process, but with a 4000-tonne revolving crane capable of lifting structures more than 100 metres high. It will boast 7500 square metres of free deck space. Once completed, it will be renamed Bokalift 2.
The Forte in Schiedam, the Netherlands (by Kees Torn).
The Forte is currently en route from the Maasvlakte via the Panama Canal to Singapore (expected time of arrival 29 November). In addition to being capable of installing current and future generation offshore wind turbine foundations, it will also be used for oil and gas structures. The Taiwanese wind farm will be the launching project for the new crane vessel.
Jacket Foundations and Pin Piles
The Changfang and Xidao offshore wind farm (CFXD OWF) project includes the transportation and installation of 62 three-legged jacket foundations and the accompanying 186 pin piles. The contract value for Boskalis is between 150 million and 300 million euros.
Boskalis and Hwa Chi have successfully performed marine construction projects in Taiwan over the last thirty years and will execute this project as BoWei (Boskalis HwaChi Offshore Wind Taiwan Co. Ltd.). In line with the local content requirement policy for offshore wind farm developments in Taiwan, BoWei will subcontract work to local suppliers including the sourcing of support vessels, local engineering and logistic services.
The CFXD OWF is located approximately fifteen kilometres off the coast of Changhua County, Taiwan, and will generate a total capacity of up to 600 megawatts. Engineering and pre-construction works commenced recently and the project is scheduled to be executed in the period 2021-2023.
