Heerema Marine Contractors has completed the installation of the first of two offshore converter stations for Orsted's Hornsea 3 wind farm project using its semi-submersible crane vessel (SSCV) Sleipnir. According to a social media post from Heerema Marine Contractors on March 31, both the jacket foundation and topside for Offshore Converter Station 1 (OCS1) are now in place at the project site offshore the UK.

Installation Timeline and Progress

The installation process began on March 19 when Sleipnir started installing the jacket foundation for OCS1 at the Hornsea 3 project site. Heerema Fabrication Group completed the foundation for the first offshore substation on March 24, with the substructure being towed to SSCV Sleipnir on March 18. The topside for the first substation was built by Aibel and Hitachi Energy and arrived in Norway from Thailand in June 2025. Work on the project's second substation (OCS2) is scheduled to be installed later this year.

Second Substation Development

Heerema Fabrication Group is currently working on the OCS2 jacket foundation, which is scheduled to be completed in August 2026. The topside for OCS2 arrived in Norway in October of the previous year. Heerema Fabrication Group was contracted in 2022 by Aibel to design and fabricate jackets for both Hornsea 3 OCS platforms.

Project Specifications and Next Phase

Hornsea 3 is located approximately 160 kilometers off the Yorkshire coast and is now preparing for the installation of wind turbine foundations, which is scheduled to start in April. The 2.9 GW offshore wind farm will feature 197 Siemens Gamesa 14 MW turbines and is expected to be operational in 2027. The completion of the first offshore converter station marks a significant milestone in the development of what will be one of the world's largest offshore wind farms. The project represents a major step forward in the UK's offshore wind energy infrastructure development.

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