Svanen to Install First Monopiles at the Baltica 2 Offshore Wind Farm
Installation of the first monopile foundations at the Baltica 2 offshore wind farm is set to begin in May. A total of 111 monopiles will be transported and installed by the heavy-lift vessel Svanen, operated by Van Oord — a leading international marine contractor with over 150 years of experience in offshore engineering. The vessel is currently being mobilised at the Port of Gdynia ahead of its upcoming deployment.
The Project
Baltica 2 is being developed by PGE Baltica in partnership with Ørsted, located approximately 40 kilometres off the Polish Baltic coast, near Choczew and Łeba, within Poland’s exclusive economic zone. Of the 111 monopiles to be installed, 107 will serve as turbine foundations, with the remaining 4 intended for offshore electrical substations.
Once commissioned — currently planned for 2027 — Baltica 2 will be the largest offshore wind farm built in Polish waters, with an installed capacity of approximately 1.5 GW, enough to supply clean energy to around 2.5 million Polish households.
The Vessel
Svanen was originally built at the Spanish shipyard Navantia Carenas Ferrol in 1991. In the summer of 2016, it completed its first assignment as part of the Van Oord fleet, installing monopiles and transition pieces for the Burbo Bank Extension offshore wind project in the United Kingdom.
The vessel has since undergone two major upgrades. In 2017, two spreader beams with a lifting capacity of 2,000 tonnes each were added to the main hoisting equipment, along with a new gripper capable of handling monopiles up to 90 metres in length and between 7 and 11 metres in diameter. The lifting hooks were also upgraded, raising the total lift capacity from 3,000 to 4,500 tonnes.
In 2024, Svanen was upgraded once more with a 1,200-tonne A-frame extension, bringing its total height to an impressive 125 metres — making it one of the largest heavy-lift vessels in the world. Following this modification, the ship was deployed on offshore wind projects in Germany and Denmark.
Most recently, in 2025, Svanen installed the first monopiles for the Baltic Power wind farm, developed by ORLEN and Northland Power, located 23 kilometres north of the Polish coast.
Svanen — Key Figures
- Length: 100 m
- Height: 125 m
- Maximum lifting capacity: 4,500 tonnes
Source: PortalMorski.pl | Photos: Sławomir Lewandowski / PortalMorski.pl
