Rotterdam Offshore Revamps jack-up vessel, Seajacks Scylla

The world’s largest jack-up vessel Seajacks Scylla, has recently visited the Rotterdam Offshore Group (ROG) terminal in the Waalhaven, after her first successful assignment on phase 1 of the Veja Mate Offshore Windpark project.

During the vessels stay at the Waalhaven facility, ROG performed an upgrade on the vessels mooring system. ROG worked around the clock to complete the project within strict deadlines and to the highest quality levels required by the vessel owners and to class satisfaction.

After the upgrade, Seajacks Scylla sailed to Esbjerg where the vessel has been mobilised for the 2nd Phase of the Veja Mate offshore wind farm project which includes the turbine installation of 67 Siemens (SIEMENS.NS) SWT-6.0-154 wind turbines at the 402MW wind farm.

Seajacks Scylla had already completed phase 1 of the project, installing 67 foundation monopiles at the site located some 95km north west of the island of Borkum in the German exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Each monopile weighs approximately 1300 tonnes, has a diameter of 7.8 metres and each transition piece is over 25metres in length and weighs approximately 360 tonnes.

Veja Mate is a EUR 1.9 billion (US$2 billion) offshore wind project expected to be fully operational by 2018 which will offset over 18 million tonnes of CO2 over the life cycle of the installation.

John Vingoe, Operations Manager Seajacks UK Ltd stated, "Seajacks are glad to say that the recent works conducted by Rotterdam Offshore Group, were done in a highly professional and timely manner. Dealing with Martin and his team to upgrade Seajacks Scylla has been a positive experience all round, and we highly recommend their workforce and services. The Port of Rotterdam is an ideal place to conduct works of this kind, given the proximity of quality suppliers and subcontractors, and we look forward to working there again soon. Scylla is now fully engaged in Wind Turbine Generator construction at the Veja Mate wind farm, and the high quality installations committed by ROG have been key to making this happen."

Joost Eenhuizen – Business manager Offshore Port of Rotterdam Authority added, “We congratulate ROG and Seajacks on the visit of Seajacks Scylla to the ROG yard. With more focus and consequently business in offshore wind in the Port of Rotterdam, we expect more jack-up vessels to call our port. Companies like ROG are taking care of a warm welcome to the new type of visitors of the harbor with specific needs for jack-up possibilities and professional (de) mobilization facilities”.
 
Martin van Leest - Managing Director ROG added, “We were very proud to have this unique vessel at our yard and believe the complete port of Rotterdam was also proud. The level of interest was high and even The Spido tour boats adjusted their route to visit the Waalhaven to see Scylla.  Working with the team at Seajacks was a pleasure and we created a real team effort to complete the project on time and to the highest specification. The crew on board really took good care of our employees. This good cooperation resulted in a maximum result possible. We hope to have Scylla back at our yard after she finishes her Walney project.”   

Seajacks Scylla, the world's largest and most advanced wind farm installation and offshore construction vessel was delivered by the Samsung Heavy Industries (010140.KS) Shipyard in Geoje, Republic of Korea in 2015. The vessel has been designed to operate in the UK Round 3 offshore zones, Scottish territorial waters and the other North West European markets.

Based on the Gusto MSC NG14000X design, the ABS-classed Seajacks Scylla, has more than 8,000 tonnes of available variable deck load. Equipped with a 1,540 tonne leg-encircling crane and a usable deck space in excess of 5,000 square meters, the unit is outfitted with 105-meter legs with the ability to install components in water depths to 65 meters. The rig is capable of meeting the installation needs of jumbo-monopiles, jackets, and turbines of future wind farms in deeper waters farther from shore.