Dogger Bank Wind Farm and the famous French philosopher of the 16th century Voltaire now have something in common.

No, not the philosophy of wind – rather a jack up vessel named after the famous thinker.

Dogger Bank Wind Farm, which claims it will become the world’s largest offshore wind farm once commissioned in 2026, has signed a contract with Jan De Nul Group for the transport and installation of offshore wind turbines at the final C phase of the project.

Located up to 200 kilometres off the UK’s Yorkshire coast, the project will see a jack-up vessel named after Voltaire transport and install the required wind turbines. 

The ship has a lifting capacity of more than 3,000 tonnes and is predicted to become the largest jack-up vessel when it starts operations in 2022.

Featuring an exhaust and diesel particulate filtering system, Voltaire is also certified as an ‘ultra-low emission vessel’.

Halfdan Brustad, Vice President for Dogger Bank at Equinor, said: “By the time Dogger Bank Wind Farm is complete, this low emissions vessel will have installed 277 of the world’s most powerful turbines at the world’s biggest offshore wind farm, quite a feat for Voltaire’s first assignment!”

Philippe Hutse, Director Offshore Division at Jan De Nul Group, said: “The scale and characteristics of the offshore Dogger Bank and turbines offer the perfect challenge for this next-gen offshore jack-up installation vessel.”

Once operational, the overall Dogger Bank Wind Farm, including A, B and C phases, will generate enough energy to power more than six million homes every year.