The topsides and jackets for OSS Zingst and OSS Darß have set sail from the Netherlands for installation in the Baltic Sea. This successful and safe sail-away marks a major milestone in the delivery of 50Hertz’s OST-6-1 offshore grid connection, which will connect the Gennaker Offshore Wind Farm to the 50Hertz transmission system on land.
Offshore wind is one of the key pillars in Europe’s changing energy system. As electricity demand grows and more industries, transport systems and households move towards low-carbon power, large-scale renewable generation needs to be matched by reliable grid infrastructure. As part of OST-6-1, OSS Zingst and OSS Darß will transmit power from the 927 MW Gennaker Offshore Wind Farm in the German Baltic Sea towards the onshore grid connection. The project forms part of the continued expansion of offshore energy infrastructure in the German Baltic Sea.
Full EPCIC responsibility
The HSI Joint Venture brings together Smulders HSM and Iv. Together, the partners are responsible for the complete EPCIC scope of the topsides and jackets for OSS Zingst and OSS Darß, covering engineering, procurement, construction, transport & installation and commissioning. This integrated approach combines offshore engineering expertise, steel fabrication, systems integration and project execution within one delivery team.
The successful load-outs and sail-aways follow an extensive period of engineering, procurement, fabrication, assembly and integration across two locations. Each offshore substation has a capacity of approximately 450 MW.
Two yards, one offshore destination
The topside and jacket for OSS Zingst departed from Schiedam, while the topside and jacket for OSS Darß sailed from Vlissingen. Built and integrated across two Dutch yards, both offshore substations are now moving into the next project phase. Together, the departures mark the transition from engineering, construction and integration towards transport, offshore installation and commissioning in the German Baltic Sea.
“The sail-away of OSS Zingst and OSS Darß is an important milestone for everyone involved. Delivering two complete offshore substations of this scale requires close integration across engineering, procurement, fabrication, systems integration and offshore execution. Seeing the topsides and jackets depart reflects the expertise, commitment and collaboration of the teams within Smulders HSM and Iv, together with our client and project partners,” said Hans Leerdam, Commercial Director at Smulders HSM.
“These sail-aways show what it takes to turn complex designs into reliable offshore infrastructure: constant alignment between design and construction, across multiple teams and locations. Bringing everything together at this scale is a strong achievement, and a clear example of what European industrial cooperation can deliver,” said Fedor van Veen, Managing Director Offshore & Energy at Iv.
