The first jacket for the Offshore Converter Station package at Ørsted’s Hornsea 3 Offshore Wind Farm has been completed by Heerema Fabrication Group, with offshore installation set in motion after the structure left the yard. The unit, Link 01, stands 54 m high and will support one of the project’s two Offshore Converter Stations.
After load-out on 11 March, the jacket was towed on 18 March by Kolga to SSCV Sleipnir. Both vessels are operated by Heerema Marine Contractors. That transfer cleared the way for installation work to begin at sea.
The delivery marks a key step in Heerema Fabrication Group’s scope on Hornsea 3. In 2022, Aibel awarded the company the contract to design and fabricate both jackets for the converter station platforms. Work at the Vlissingen yard covered the full chain from design, which started in 2023, through fabrication, coating and final outfitting using the site’s production facilities.
A second jacket, Link 02, remains under construction and is due for completion in August 2026. Richard Spronk, CEO of Heerema Fabrication Group, said the departure of Link 01 marked an important moment for the teams involved and said the company is now concentrating on the second structure.
Hornsea 3 is located 120 km off the Norfolk coast and is valued at £8.5 billion. The project is expected to generate enough green electricity for more than 3 million UK homes. Nearly 550 km of array cables will link the wind turbines to two Offshore Converter Stations, where power will be converted from AC to DC for transmission to shore.
