Offshore base port Cuxhaven Berth 8

New construction of a harbor berth in the dyke foreland of Cuxhaven on the Elbe for the loading of construction elements for the erection of offshore wind turbines. The port facility consists of a harbor berth, a waiting berth, a power berth, two protective piers and a crane runway with shunting beams for loading activities.

Construction:
Quay facility consisting of combined tubular sheet pile wall with inclined pile anchoring (8,000 tons) and in-situ driven concrete piles as foundation of the quay slab and approx. 640,000 m³ sand backfill with dredgers.

Special features:
Short construction time of one year until the first unit load, reinforcement of the consortium with three other companies (Hochtief, TAGU, VOSS and NORDSEE).

Due to the shortage of energy resources and the associated rise in prices, there is a worldwide boom in the field of alternative energy sources. In Germany alone, there was over 20,000 MW of installed wind power capacity in 2007. Due to international commitments, it is expected that there will be considerable investment in renewable energy sources in the coming years, particularly in offshore wind farms in the North Sea. Thanks to its exposed location at the mouth of the Elbe, Cuxhaven is ideal for the installation and maintenance of offshore wind turbines and their foundation elements.

The federal state of Lower Saxony has set itself the target of increasing its share of electricity generation from renewable energies to 20% by 2020. In order to be able to participate economically in this development, the state government has decided on an investment program for Cuxhaven. The establishment of well-known turbine suppliers and their subcontractors in Cuxhaven laid the foundation for further development. At the same time, the decision was made to establish Cuxhaven as an offshore base port and to create the infrastructure for the requirements of the offshore industry. In February 2008, the government of Lower Saxony approved the construction of the
Berth 8 in the old “Grodener Hafen”. Half of the construction project is funded by the EU. It includes a production yard for the steel foundation elements of the wind turbines. The future production area will be filled with approx. 630,000 m³ of sand from the Elbe up to a height of +6.5 m and enclosed on the water side by a sheet pile wall. In total, the new berth 8 will have a 160 m long power berth aligned parallel to the fairway, a 115 m long waiting area for the transport ships and a 116 m long loading area. The waiting and loading areas are arranged one behind the other at right angles to the fairway. A uniform water depth of 9.50 m applies to all three berths. The disembarkation of the first foundation elements is planned for March 2009. This requires partial completion of certain construction areas and handover to the client.