Van Oord’s heavy-lift installation vessel Svanen will get a major upgrade. Among other improvements, the gantry crane will be extended by 25 metres, making the vessel ready to handle the next generation of monopile foundations for offshore wind projects. The extension, weighing 1200 tonnes, will be constructed by Holland Shipyards and installed using a 200 metres high Mammoet crane. Besides the gantry extension, the upgrade programme includes an upgrade of the lifting hooks which will increase the lifting capacity of the vessel from 3000 tonnes to 4500 tonnes, an upgrade of the gripper to handle increased loads and an upgrade of the structure of the vessel to accommodate the latest hammer size. The modifications will take place on several locations in the Netherlands, mainly in the Rotterdam area. The upgraded Svanen will be operational in the third quarter of 2024. The first project the upgraded Svanen will be deployed on is the Baltic Power offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea.
