deugro Ships Eight 77-meter-long Pin Piles Weighing over 270 Metric Tons Each from Spain to the Netherlands

deugro, in collaboration with dteq Transport Engineering Solutions (dteq), successfully delivered eight pin piles from Bilbao, Spain to Vlissingen, Netherlands as part of the Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm project. The 77-meter-long pin piles, with a weight of over 270 metric tons each and a diameter of 2.4 meters, are the largest piles ever manufactured by Haizea Bilbao.

As part of the project, deugro compiled a complex coordination of operations with shore cranes, local agents and the multi-purpose (MPP) vessel MV BBC LIVORNO. dteq, a company of the deugro group, contributed to the success with custom-designed transport saddles and finite element 3D analysis of the cargo prior to operations.

One of the challenges during the project execution was the limited crane capacity at the required outreach—this made two rotations of the vessel necessary. The first pile was loaded on the starboard side, then the vessel was rotated to be loaded on the port side.

Due to the limited loading capacities and outreach, the planning and engineering was even more complex—due to the piles’ weight, the necessary stacking of them on board required extensive calculations. The seafastening of the cargo had to be planned meticulously to neutralize the effects of any accelerations on the cargo during the voyage and a load spreading design was developed to ensure an even weight distribution of the units. For the high loads on the tween deck, dteq, together with the carrier, defined specific vessel deck strong points on each pontoon—the complex measurement on board was another challenge to overcome.

Another hurdle was the operations at the destination: Due to the ongoing works at the receiving terminal, the hatch covers of the vessel had to be unloaded onto a pontoon moored next to the vessel instead of quay side as it was initially planned. Everything was arranged within short notice and with no incidents.

“The greatest challenge of this shipment was maintaining a relentless coordination of all operations and involved subcontractors to achieve the excellence that defines deugro all around the world,” said Carlos Contreras, Junior Project Coordinator, deugro Spain.

“deugro Spain, in collaboration with dteq Transport Engineering Solutions, a company of the deugro group, and deugro Netherlands, came up with a technical solution that enabled a cost savings of about 20 percent for our client,” added Paula Gallardo, Business Development Manager Offshore Wind, deugro. “deugro is committed to net zero and is proud to have successfully completed another sustainable energy project.”

Iberdrola is constructing the 476 MW Baltic Eagle offshore wind farm 28 kilometers northeast of the German island of Rügen in the Mecklenburg-West Pomerania region of the Baltic Sea. The final delivery and installation of the wind turbines will complete the construction phase and are scheduled for the first quarter of 2024. As soon as Baltic Eagle’s connection to the German power grid has been established, carbon emissions of around one million metric tons per year can subsequently be avoided.