In June 2011, E.ON and MPI entered into a long-term partnership for a six-year charter of MPI Discovery. Nearly two years later, 28 March 2013 marked the first day of the charter period.
Over this time, both sides have put a lot of work into the planning and preparation for safely using the vessel on E.ON’s offshore wind projects. For the coming two years, MPI Discovery, at times running in parallel with MPI Adventure, will be working across three projects in three different countries: Karehamn (Sweden/Baltic Sea), Humber Gateway (UK, North Sea) and Amrumbank West (Germany, North Sea). In total, 325 components, each consisting of several sub-components, will be handled and installed: 169 wind turbines, 153 monopile foundations, one substation jacket and two substation topsides.
To enable this, the teams of E.ON, MPI and Vroon have established a great collaboration and on top of this are pioneering a new set up in offshore wind. For the first time, the transport and installation of foundations will be directly managed between the employer and the installer, without a principle foundation contractor in the middle. This has led to very close interaction and brought colleagues from the companies together to jointly overcome challenges and develop solutions.
“We believe that the charter of this well-run, highly efficient installation vessel will play a vital role in reducing the cost of offshore wind, which is our key goal,” said Sven Utermöhlen, Director Offshore Wind at E.ON . “Now the ‘real’ work begins, and we look forward to continuing the journey together with MPI and Vroon, always focusing on safely and efficiently delivering our work. We wish the teams and crews the best of luck, safe journeys and always fair winds!”
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Press release, April 23, 2013; Image: MPI Offshore