Offshore installation contractor Cadeler has taken delivery of its first A-class vessel, Wind Ally. Its inaugural job will see it install monopile foundations at Ørsted’s Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm in the North Sea.
Wind Ally becomes Cadeler’s ninth wind energy installation vessels (WIV). At Hornsea 3, Cadeler will take on the entire transport and installation (T&I) scope for offshore monopile foundations, a first for the company.
“Over the past year, we have built the needed capabilities to take on the full foundations scope. Establishing an entirely new department of dedicated specialists and investing in the design of vessels tailored for XXL monopiles has been a huge effort across the company,” said Mikkel Gleerup, ceo of Cadeler. “Hornsea 3 will be the first project where we bring all of this preparation together, and I am proud that we now stand ready to deliver the complete T&I of foundations as a trusted and long-term partner to Ørsted.”
The vessel has been under construction for two years at the COSCO shipyard in Qidong. Wind Ally’s hybrid design, like its fellow A-class vessels, features a deck space of 5,600 sq m, a payload of more than 18,000 tonnes, and a main crane capable of lifting above 3,300 tonnes at 39 m. This means that it can transport and install up to six sets of XXL monopile foundations per load.
Wind Ace is set to follow, with delivery projected for the second half of 2025. Wind Apex should enter service in 2027.
Gleerup added: “With three Cadeler vessels on hire to deliver both the foundation and turbine transportation and installation scopes, we are proud to play a pivotal role in Ørsted’s ambitious Hornsea 3 project. This project builds on a strong partnership that spans more than a decade.”
Earlier this month, Cadeler opened an office in Xinyi, Taipei, Taiwan – relocating its Taipei-based. Tony Lu, APAC manager at Cadeler, said: “The new Taipei office is more than a workspace – it reflects our confidence in the region’s potential across diverse markets.”
