10
NUMMER 09 I 7 DECEMBER
Sif Group prospers thanks to booming offshore- windfarm market
The Sif Group, from Roermond, the Netherlands, has really taken off on Maasvlakte II. Their success stems from the wind-offshore market. Together with the Port of Rotterdam, who issues land and owns the Maasvlakte quays, these suppli- ers of monopiles for wind turbines intend to occupy a leading position in the Dutch offshore-manufacturing industry where windfarms are concerned. You may not have heard of them before.
But the tall chairman of the board of the Sif Group, Jan Bruggenthijs, will soon change your mind. Passionately, he revealed the story of the monopiles - foundations for wind turbines at sea - that are manufactured in the new assembly hall on Maasvlakte II, at the Europaweg, next to FutureLand. His enthusiasm caused the programme to overrun its schedule by more than an hour. And no-one was complaining. On the contrary, they were all ears. His story was fascinating and he livened it up with anec- dotes from previous jobs, for example with GTI, Stork, Eriks, and Hertel. Aſter fierce negotiations with the Port of Rotterdam about the site, which covers 42 hectares, and particularly regarding the bizarre strength of the deep-sea terminal, Maasvlakte II ended up to be the home of the monopile department of the steel-construc- tion company, which has been quoted on the stock exchange since 12 May of this year. Vlissingen lost the tender. During the tour, it became clear how popular wind energy has become. It’s quite incredible. While contractors are finishing the construc- tion of the assembly and coating halls, and the terrain is still being hardened, gigantic steel rings with a width of approximately 10 metres and a diameter of 8.80 are being welded together into monopiles with a length of 80 metres. There’s no time to waste, so the work is being done according to a two-shiſt system. “On 23 December, the first jack-up ship, the Innovation GeoSea, will be picking up its cargo of monopiles here”, Bruggenthijs said, standing on a heap of sand, looking across the Prinses Margriethaven in the direction of the Pioneering Spirit, which is moored in the Prinses Alexiahaven. Meanwhile, contractors from Mobilis/TBI and Dimco/DEME are busy building the deep-sea quay. Joost Eenhuizen, Business Manager Maritime and Offshore Industry with the Port of Rotterdam, was asked whether the first section of the quay, with a length of 150 metres, would be ready in time. “It will be ready for these first monopiles to be transported across the sea”, he confirmed. “Eventually, the deep-sea quay will have a length of 460 metres, and shall be finished in the summer of 2017”. The first cargo is shipped to the Galloper windfarm, off the east coast of the UK. Altogether, Sif will be supplying the Galloper project with 54 monopiles.
Full order book Sif is doing well because of the booming wind-energy sector. They have a full order book for the year to come. “Shortly, we will be stepping up our production, by introduc- ing a three-shiſt system”, Bruggenthijs said. “Currently, we are welding and coating two monopiles per week here in Rotterdam. To be able to meet the demand, we will be working according to the three-shiſt system, so that we can manufacture four piles per week”.
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