Damen Completes Work on Jan de Nul Group Vessels
![TSHD Leiv Eiriksson[3]](https://085.wpcdnnode.com/ynfpublishers.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/TSHD-Leiv-Eiriksson3.jpg)
Damen Shiprepair & Conversion (DSC) has recently completed works in Vlissingen and Brest on two major vessels in the fleet of dredging and marine construction specialist Jan de Nul Group. One of these is the Vole au Vent, a 140m jack-up vessel built specifically for the installation of the latest generation of offshore wind turbines. The other is the trailing suction hopper dredger Leiv Eiriksson. Both vessels are among the largest in their classes, anywhere in the world.
The jack-up vessel Vole au Vent arrived at , late in 2016 after a summer working on the Nobelwind offshore wind farm off the coast of Belgium. She came to DSVl for modifications necessary for her second phase on the Nobelwind project. These required the demobilisation of her existing equipment used for the foundation campaign and the installation of a new layout for phase two work.
Over the course of two weeks, her 3,400m² main deck was cleared of equipment and temporary structures and restored to its clean, completely flush layout. This allows it to accommodate wind turbine installation equipment and components, towers and blades for its next deployment off the coast of Belgium. DSVl also fabricated and installed some new deck structures including grillages (stacking racks) for the transport of the wind turbine generator towers and nacelles.
On 16 February, Jan de Nul Group’s 223m trailing suction hopper dredger, Leiv Eiriksson, departed from Damen Shiprepair Brest after a three-week maintenance programme. This followed an 18-month assignment on a large-scale land reclamation project in Nigeria.
The works included replacement of the 1.7m discharge lines, changing the power cables for the suction arms, fresh paintwork, the assisting of specialist subcontractors with steering gear, propulsion and thruster repairs, valve repairs and minor steel works. With a hopper volume of 46,000m³ and a DWT of 78,500 metric tons, the Leiv Eiriksson is one of the world’s largest dredgers.