Biglift Baffin June to Oct 2023 Saint Brieuc Wind

MV BigLift Baffin delivers 38 jacket foundations at Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm BigLift Shipping transported 38 jacket foundations from El Ferrol, Spain to Van Oord’s offshore installation vessel Aeolus in the Bay of Saint-Brieuc for the Saint-Brieuc offshore windfarm, 16.3 kilometres off the coast of Brittany. Equipped with a state-of-the-art dynamic positioning system and her 125*42 metre flush deck, BigLift’s heavy transport vessel BigLift Baffin was the right vessel for the job. Between June 4 and October 5, the vessel executed ten shipments, carrying the jacket foundations on deck; eight trips with four and two with three pieces. The three-legged jackets are 70 metres high and each weighs approximately 1,100 mt. The jackets were lifted and seafastened on to purpose-built quick-release systems to minimize time during the lifting operation in the field. Out at sea, the jackets were discharged by Van Oord’s Aeolus while Biglift Baffin stayed in position using her DP2 system. This was the first project where BigLift Baffin deployed her DP2 configuration. The area near the Channel Islands is renowned for its large tidal range, which means that high current speeds must be counteracted by the DP system. Furthermore, due to the height of the jackets, the vessel experienced large windage on top of the high current. Despite the extremely challenging conditions, the DP system performed excellently.