Arrival of the first transition pieces into the Port of Leith
Inch Cape’s first batch of 15 transition pieces has arrived at the Port of Leith in Edinburgh in readiness for installation offshore later this year.
Each transition piece is around 28 metres tall, roughly the height of an eight-storey building, has an outer diameter of 8.3 meters, and weighs approximately 600 tonnes.
Inch Cape will have a total of 54 transition pieces, each individually designed and engineered by renewables engineering consultancy SLPE specifically for its corresponding monopile foundation.
The transition pieces will provide a stable interface between the project’s XXL monopile foundations, which will be piled into the seabed, and the wind turbine towers placed on top. Each transition piece will be secured to a monopile with a bolted connection and then grouted. The wind turbine tower will then be installed and bolted on top.
The transition pieces feature a boat landing system, access ladder and external work platform enabling Inch Cape’s technicians and engineers to enter the wind turbine tower for maintenance activity during the operational phase of the project.
Internally, the transition pieces have four platforms at different levels. At their base is an air-tight platform, next a cable hang-off platform which supports the inter-array cables, then an entrance platform with elevator access to the wind turbine and nacelle unit. Finally there is a bolting platform for the construction crew to access and safely work from as they bolt the transition piece and turbine tower interface flanges.
The transition pieces are painted an industry-standard bright-yellow to ensure visibility at sea and comprise sacrificial anodes for cathodic protection, to prevent steel corrosion in the harsh marine conditions.
The first batch of CWHI-fabricated transition pieces were transported by COSCO heavy-lift vessel Hua Sheng Long and arrived at the Port of Leith on 5 January. They will be installed by marine contractor Seaway7 using the vessel Alfa Lift .
The second and final batch of 15 transition pieces from CWHI is due to set sail later this month.
A further nine transition pieces, together with three jacket foundations, are on their way to the UK from the fabrication yard of Inch Cape contractor, CFHI. CFHI is also responsible for the fabrication of a further 15 transition pieces and 15 jacket foundations.
