SAL Heavy lift’s MV Lone has just completed the discharge of 9 monopiles in snow-covered Akita, Japan for the Akita Offshore Wind Farm.
According to SAL, each monopile was safely discharged 20 metres from the edge of the quay to meet the local restrictions.
The first monopiles for the project were already delivered onboard SAL Heavy Lift’s MV Lone in December 2020.
SAL has been entrusted to transport the heaviest monopiles for the Akita offshore wind farm project, with weights up to 883 metric tonnes and lengths over 78 metres from Rotterdam to Akita port.
The 139 MW Akita Noshiro project comprises two sites off Akita Port and Noshiro Port. The site will feature 33 Vestas V117-4.2MW typhoon variant turbines, with 13 installed off Akita Port, and the remaining 20 off Noshiro Port.
Kajima Corporation, the project’s EPCI contractor, contracted Sif to supply 33 monopiles and 33 transition pieces for the wind farm. Sif is manufacturing the monopiles at Maasvlakte in Rotterdam and Smulders is producing the transition pieces in Belgium.