SAL Heavy Lift has completed two heavy lift voyages involving 11 floating offshore wind foundation components for BMS A/S, using its heavy lift vessel MV Hilke at the Port of Hvide Sande in Denmark.
The cargo included individual steel components measuring up to 54.73 m in length and weighing as much as 596 t. According to SAL, the operation was carried out within the port’s restrictions on vessel draft and overall length.
Hvide Sande permits a maximum vessel draft of 6.5 m and a maximum vessel length of 140 m. These restrictions were among the principal considerations in planning the handling of the large components.
MV Hilke, a Type 116 heavy lift vessel, has an overall length of 133 m and a beam of 23 m. It is equipped with two 450 t cranes, providing a maximum combined lifting capacity of 900 t.
The operation involved detailed engineering preparations and coordination between the vessel’s crew and the shore-based technical team. According to a SAL Engineering statement, the loading arrangements were developed before the vessel arrived, with engineers maintaining communication with the crew during the work.
The Port of Hvide Sande separately confirmed that MV Hilke handled floating wind foundation components at its heavy-load quay. The port’s adjacent storage area provided additional space for handling the large steel structures.
SAL reported that the 11 components were transported across two voyages, with the cargo dimensions and port restrictions requiring coordinated planning and execution.
