Mammoet has managed the handling and transport of 116 XL monopile foundations for the Nordseecluster A (Germany) and Thor (Denmark) offshore wind projects, which together are expected to deliver up to 2.6 GW. These joint projects are developed by RWE (51%) and Norges Bank Investment Management (49%).
At Buss Terminal Eemshaven in the Netherlands, Mammoet oversaw the phased load-in, temporary storage, and load-out of monopiles weighing around 1,500 tonnes and measuring 85–100 meters in length. The operation required careful planning due to varying monopile specifications, quay limitations, fast-changing tides, and the need to optimise port space.
Monopiles were offloaded using a RoRo linkspan ramp extended to 12 meters to manage limited quay bearing capacity, then transported on 80-axle Self-Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMTs) equipped with Buss saddles. Engineers worked to ensure the hydraulic systems of the SPMTs were compatible with the saddle cylinders and hoses. Monopiles were loaded in a transverse orientation to increase units per load, and temporary measures, such as placing wooden mats on vessel decks, allowed two monopiles to be offloaded per tidal window.
Once on the quayside, the monopiles were stored on sand bunds and later moved into concrete cradles for lifting onto delivery vessels using on-board cranes. This approach allowed efficient handling within tidal constraints and optimised the number of load-ins per period.
