On April 29, 2021, at the CMHI Haimen shipyard in China, the keel laying ceremony was held for Jan De Nul Group’s Offshore Crane Vessel Les Alizés.
Together with the Jack-Up Voltaire, this new vessel will be in a super-size class of its own, capable of building the NextGen offshore wind farms. Les Alizés will be equipped with a crane having a lifting capacity of 5,000 tons and equally impressive lifting heights. .
The vessel is designed to transport and install multiple units of the largest and heaviest wind turbine foundations in one trip. It is expected to be ready for operations in 2022.
Les Alizés will be equipped with several green measures and innovations to minimize the environmental impact, such as a highly advanced dual exhaust filter system that is said to be able to remove up to 99% of nanoparticles from emissions using a diesel particulate filter (DPF) followed by selective catalytic reduction system (SCR); as well as an onboard Energy Storage System optimising engine operation and reducing fuel consumption and emissions. The vessel will also have a Cleanship NDO7 and a Green Passport EU label.
The Cleanship label confirms that the vessel checks and minimizes the waste water and all other residual waste. The second Green Passport label means that all materials and hazardous substances are mapped out during the construction phase, in order to facilitate the recycling of the vessel when decommissioned. Both certificates are issued by a specialized external agency.