Mammoet has successfully deployed two new heavy lifting innovations during the Baltic Power offshore wind project, improving the safety and efficiency of handling next-generation XXL monopile foundations.
The new technologies were used to support Van Oord during the marshalling of 78 monopiles at the Port of Rønne, Denmark, before installation at the Baltic Power offshore wind farm, located 23 kilometres off the Polish coast. Once operational, the project is expected to generate around 4 TWh of renewable electricity annually, covering approximately three percent of Poland’s electricity demand.
The monopiles, measuring up to 86.3 metres in length, 9.1 metres in diameter and weighing as much as 1,680 tonnes, were transported using Mammoet’s XXL Monopile Transport System. First introduced in 2024, the system enables the safe handling, storage and transport of increasingly larger offshore wind foundations while reducing civil works through its innovative foldable saddle design.
For quayside lifting operations, Mammoet also deployed its new MTC 1600 terminal crane for the first time. Working in tandem, two cranes with a combined lifting capacity of 3,200 tonnes transferred the monopiles from the quay directly into the water for loading onto Van Oord’s installation vessel Svanen.
During the project, Mammoet also introduced process improvements by using the MTC 1600 cranes to unload monopiles directly from barges, reducing handling time and significantly improving operational efficiency.
“When we were in discussions with Van Oord, it wanted to upgrade the Svanen to have a 3,000-tonne lifting capacity so the vessel could install XXL monopiles in the Baltics,” said Jaap van der Riet, Commercial Manager at Mammoet. “To further support that, we said we would develop cranes and systems that matched this capacity. This is a real strength of Mammoet. If no solutions exist, we develop them together with our clients to meet their specific needs.”
The project follows Mammoet’s earlier work upgrading Svanen with a new A-frame, reinforcing its role in supporting the next generation of offshore wind installations.
