Sarens is pleased to have successfully completed the work scope with client Jan de Nul NV. Commencing in July 2020 and completing in September 2022 Sarens lifted and transported 188 pin piles and 47 OWF Jackets at the Taichung Marshalling Harbour, Taiwan for the Formosa 2 offshore wind farm. The 376MW wind farm consists of 47 Siemens turbines atop jacket foundations placed in waters reaching 55-metre depths. 

 For Sarens, the project took place in five phases, (1) load-in of the pin piles and transport to storage, (2) load-out of the pin piles, (3) load-out of the jackets in Batam, (4) load-in of the jackets and transport to storage and (5) preparation of the jackets for load-out.

 During the first phase, Sarens performed the inland transport of 188 pin piles, measuring up to 80m long and weighing up to 280 tonnes from the quay to the storage areas.  The pin piles were lifted onto Sarens SPMTs via transportation vessel cranes, with Sarens then transporting 25 pin piles within a 72-hour timeframe. This phase was successfully completed within agreed timeframes and with utmost attention to safety.

In the second phase, Sarens commenced transporting 188 pin piles from the long term storage areas to the temporary quayside storage, allowing for fast turnaround of loading activities. For this portion of the project, Sarens used 28 axle lines of SPMTs to transport the pin piles and the load-out was carried out using LR 11350 crane with superlift. Timing was key during this phase of the project and Sarens achieved the loading of eight pin piles within a 12-hour timeframe. This was a particularly tight timeline considering the necessary reconfigurations that had to be made to the crane’s superlift, adjusting it from 500T to 250T.

The load-out of the jackets, that took place in Batam, required a second jacket handler, a second set of SPMTs, along with a full crew of experts that facilitated their mobilisation to the Indonesian islands. The load-in of the OWF jackets, weighing up to 1700 tonnes, commenced in Q3 of 2021 and showcased Sarens bespoke designed jacket handler, with 120 axle lines of SPMT and 4 PCJ500 towers. The incorporated jacking system allowed for a streamlined alignment and lifting operation ensuring that Sarens could achieve a load-in and transport of a jacket on every suitable tide, normally offloading four jackets per 48hours.

In the final phase, Sarens assisted in the preparation of the jackets for load-out in Taiwan, including installation of a lifting adapter piece to each of the 47 jackets, a task which required a dedicated GWO trained lifting team and utilised a CC2500 crane.

During our time in Taichung Port, Sarens have had various challenges relating to allowable ground loading, from redistributing transport loads into the piles on the quay and ensuring adequate load spreading, overcoming ground degradation due to extreme rainfall and even mobilising additional equipment to overcome a mid-project reduction in port limitations. Alongside our partners Jan De Nul, Sarens remained focused and ready to ensure the project continued to hit its targets. We look forward to a successful future for the Formosa 2 offshore wind farm as we secure our clients across the globe that Sarens remains the reference brand in all marshalling offshore work that is emerging globally and endeavour daily to remain at the very top in this sector.