Sunset sail away for substation platform and jacket foundation
Inch Cape’s substation platform and jacket foundation have departed the Smulders yard in Wallsend, Newcastle and are now on the way to their long-term home at the heart of the offshore wind farm.
The Siemens Energy Offshore Transformer Module (OTM®) and its jacket foundation sailed at sunset yesterday evening down the River Tyne, into the North Sea and onwards to Scotland.
After almost two years, the teams at Wallsend have delivered the first-ever OTM® with two circuits – known as a double platform – along with the 68-metre four-legged jacket foundation that will be piled to the seabed.
Both the platform, weighing just under 3,000 tonnes, and the towering jacket were fabricated entirely at Smulders’ Wallsend facility, an impressive feat of engineering and teamwork. A total of around 80 local UK suppliers contributed to the successful completion of these components.
The OTM® and jacket were transported by the Heerema Marine Contractors barge H-406 and will soon be installed at the wind farm site, located 15 kilometres off the Angus coast.
Once installed, the Inch Cape team and contractors begin the next phase of construction known as hook-up and commissioning.
To view the video of the fabrication and sail away you can click here.
