Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
The first XXL monopile foundations for the Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm have arrived at Teesworks in northeast England, marking the start of large scale construction logistics for what will become the world’s single largest offshore wind project.
Six monopiles, fabricated by Haizea Wind Group, reached the Port of Teesworks in early February aboard BigLift heavy transport vessel CY Interocean II following a 960 nautical mile transit from Bilbao, Spain. Project developer Ørsted and Teesworks confirmed the shipment on 10 February, describing it as the opening movement in a foundation campaign that will see 197 monopiles marshalled through Steel River Quay.
The delivery signals the transition of Hornsea 3 from early seabed preparation into its primary offshore installation phase, with heavy lift shipping, port handling and installation vessel rotations now scaling up through 2026.
Teesworks emerges as foundation logistics hub
Steel River Quay has been designated the project’s main marshalling base, providing heavy duty berths and extensive laydown space for staging monopiles and secondary steel ahead of offshore installation.
The quay was secured by Ørsted specifically for Hornsea 3 component handling, positioning Teesworks as a critical logistics node for the multiyear buildout. Port authorities said the facility will manage sequential foundation deliveries, storage, and load out operations as vessel cycles intensify.
Load out in Bilbao and discharge in the UK were executed by installation contractor Cadeler, working alongside Haizea Wind Group, Mammoet, and Ørsted project teams. Coordination covered fabrication interface management, heavy lift engineering, and quayside transfer planning on both ends of the supply chain.
The Spanish shipments will be supplemented later in the campaign by UK based production. SeAH’s monopile manufacturing facility at Teesworks is nearing completion and is expected to begin delivering additional XXL units for Hornsea 3 as fabrication ramps up.
Offshore works ramp toward continuous campaign
Weekly construction notices show that early offshore activities, including cable route preparation and rock placement, accelerated through late 2025 and are continuing into the first quarter of 2026.
Project leadership has framed 2026 as the year offshore construction begins in earnest. Foundation installation, export cable laying and inter array works are scheduled to run in overlapping phases, creating a continuous installation campaign through 2027.
Turbine deliveries and erection are expected to begin in late 2026, continuing for roughly 12 months before full commissioning targeted at the end of 2027.
At 2.9 GW, Hornsea 3 will generate enough power for more than three million UK homes, placing added scrutiny on execution timelines, vessel availability, and port throughput capacity.
Wind Ally mobilisation adds installation capacity
Installation capability is being reinforced by Cadeler’s new A class vessel Wind Ally, which completed mobilisation and mission equipment commissioning at Huisman’s yard in Xiamen, China, in late January.
The vessel is now en route to Europe and will begin work on Hornsea 3 as its first assignment. Equipped with monopile grippers, storage cradles and upending systems, the ship can transport and install up to six XXL monopiles per voyage.
Cadeler has full transport and installation responsibility for the monopile scope, making Hornsea 3 its first project under a complete T&I contract model.
Parallel to offshore works, Ørsted is developing a 300 MW, 600 MWh battery energy storage system adjacent to the project’s onshore substation. The system is scheduled to enter operation by the end of 2026 to support grid integration as generation capacity comes online.
