A2Sea’s wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) Sea Installer has arrived at the Port of Oostende, Belgium, to load the first turbines destined for installation at the Rentel offshore wind farm.
The WTIV has been moored at the head of the REBO offshore wind terminal, where Siemens started the loading procedure of its 7MW turbines.
According to the port, two wind turbines will be transported to the offshore site per sailing, which means that 21 trips will be made in total, with an average turnaround time being about four days.
The 87-meter tall towers are transported vertically, with the blades protruding 26 meters on the starboard side and 13 meters on the port side, which means the total width of the transport is 78 meters, the port said.
The assembling of the wind turbines for the Belgian offshore wind project started in the Port of Oostende in mid-February after the first parts arrived at the REBO terminal.
The 309MW Rentel wind farm will comprise 42 7MW Siemens Gamesa turbines expected to deliver first power to the grid by the middle of the year, while the entire wind farm is scheduled for full commissioning by the end of 2018.