A newbuild jack-up vessel, “Voltaire”, came loose from its moorings and sustained damage when Typhoon Mufia made landfall in China on September 15th. The storm made landfall in China 4 times and caused flooding, power outages, and suspension of businesses all along its path.
The typhoon’s first landfall was on the coast near the city of Zoushan on September 14th, and after several hours the storm hit China’s Fengxian district.
Jan De Nul Group of Belgium has reported that it was informed of its vessel, the Voltaire, having sustained damage from the typhoon. Jan de Nul was told that the eye of the storm passed directly through the COSCO Shipyard in Nantong in the early hours of September 15th.
According to Jan de Nul, the incident caused no injuries to any personnel, but the turbulent winds with speeds up to 95 mph and high waves of 16 feet caused their vessel, the Voltaire, to come loose from its moorings.
After the storm had subsided, the vessel was moored back safely into the yard. First sight assessments show the vessel sustained limited damage in the helideck and certain parts of the crane. Jan de Nul added that more detailed assessments are underway.
The Voltaire is a wind-turbine jack-up vessel. It is designed to lift, transport, and install the largest wind turbines, transition pieces, and foundations of wind farms.
The 21,500 dwt vessel is 555 feet long, can operate in depths as low as 262 feet, and can carry elevated loads up to 16,000 tons. The vessel is currently under construction and is expected to be delivered later this year.
The current position of VOLTAIRE is at China Coast (coordinates 31.68432 N / 121.86714 E) reported 22 hours ago by AIS. The vessel arrived at the port of Qidong, China on Aug 25, 02:45 UTC.
The vessel VOLTAIRE (IMO: 9899284, MMSI 253813000) is a Offshore Support Vessel built in 2022 and currently sailing under the flag of Luxembourg.
