Wilhelmshaven: Completion of the Infrastructure for the LNG Jetty

After a mere 194 days, an LNG jetty was created at the Voslapper Groden in Wilhelmshaven. Adding to the existing cargo handling facility, a docking platform and dolphins with rubbing paunches as well as mooring dolphins were constructed for the berth. This is the location, where in just one month from now in mid-December, the first FSRU, a Floating Storage and Regasification Unit, can be docked. This way, the site Wilhelmshaven will contribute to ensuring the energy supply for Germany.

Minister for Economic Affairs, Mr. Lies: “One Giant Step for a More Secure Energy Supply – The State of Niedersachsen Came Through for Us”

Olaf Lies, Niedersachsen’s Minister for Economic Affairs, Transport, Construction, and Digitization explains: “Today, Germany has their eyes on Wilhelmshaven. The new LNG Jetty is a great step towards a secure energy supply. Within an extremely short amount of time, Niedersachsen was able to deliver, at what many nowadays refer to as the “neue Deutschlandgeschwindigkeit” (Germany’s new fast pace). An early decision to select Wilhelmshaven as the hub for LNG imports proved to be spot-on. Both, the already existing port infrastructure, and the excellent underlying conditions, contributed to making this project a solid success. In particular, this was made possible by precise coordination and a highly professional collaboration among all project partners. Innovation and engineering prowess were the driving forces behind an infrastructure project of national importance. I would like to give a heart-felt thank you to all the planners, experts and construction companies that were involved; also, to the NLWKN, and in particular to the NPorts team.

Minister for Environment and Energy, Mr. Meyer: “We Must Replace Fossil Fuels With Climate-Neutral Gases ASAP”

“NPorts’ new jetty will make a contribution to a more secure energy supply in Niedersachsen and Germany. At the same, and in line with our climate objectives, our goal is to exceedingly minimize the import of fossil fuels by putting the energy transition efforts into overdrive and by expanding the use of Renewable Energies and energy storage solutions. The idea is to switch to climate-neutral green gases as quickly as possible and make Wilhelmshaven the hub for green hydrogen and for the import of Renewable Energies from the North Sea”, according to the Minister for Environment and Energy, Christian Meyer.

A ‘Thank You’ to a Strong Team of Partners

The port company Niedersachsen Ports GmbH & Co. KG as construction principal, with the support of and in a joint effort with JadeWeserPort Realisierungs GmbH, Depenbrock Ingenieurwasserbau GmbH & Co. KG, and Kurt Fredrich Spezialtiefbau GmbH made the swift implementation of the project a reality.
Managing Director of Niedersachsen Ports and JadeWeserPort Realisierungs GmbH & Co. KG, Holger Banik, is thanking the teams on site: “Everyone involved has been working tirelessly under an immense time crunch, and every day they made sure that this jetty would be completed on time. Your efforts ensured our contribution towards a secure energy supply. This achievement deserves our special recognition.”

Within the spirit of passing the baton, Niedersachsen Ports handed the port infrastructure over to the company Uniper. Uniper had simultaneously begun to construct a connection between the FSRU and the facilities ashore (superstructure) on top of the port jetty. “Our joint goal is within reach. Just a month from now, we will be able to welcome our first LNG terminal ship here”, Banik added.
The further connection to the natural gas pipeline grid, and thus the natural gas storage facility Etzel, is currently being implemented by the company Open Grid Europe GmbH (OGE).

Within this context, Banik points out the importance of the seaports for the energy transition: “It is our North Sea shore that plays a crucial role for the energy transition. It is our strategy to develop our ports to become hubs for sustainable energy.”

Background:

The project of creating Germany’s first LNG jetty is under an immense time crunch and is of stellar importance for ensuring that Germany’s gas supply is secure. Due to Russia’s war against the Ukraine, Germany’s gas supply has become less than secure. Alternatives had to be created literally overnight in order to secure the gas supply for the winter. Wilhelmshaven proved to be

the ideal site for a liquefied gas terminal, since a commensurate jetty was already in place in the form of Vynova’s UVG bridge. The existing bridge has undergone a step-by-step refurbishment and is now efficient and ready for operation. Prior to that decision, Niedersachsen Ports, in a joint effort with Uniper, had examined the feasibility of such venture. Only a month from now, the first FSRU will be able to dock at this location.

On May 1, 2022, Niedersachsen’s State Agency for Water Management, Coastal Defense, and Nature Conservation (NLWKN) had given their green light for the early start of construction. The start of construction was ushered in on May 5 with the first pile-driver blow.

Construction Approach:

All told, and depending on the day-to-day requirements, some 30 to 40 individuals were working at the construction site throughout the entire construction phase. For the foundation, a total of 194 pylons were impact-driven into the ground to give the structure the necessary stability. A total of nine semi-finished components were prefabricated and towed on a pontoon to the construction site. The weight of each component is between 160 and 380 metric tons. The platform and the access gangways of the jetty were manufactured from these concrete parts. Steel was also installed in the construction of the access gangways – all told, a total of 350 meters in length for 18 gangways. And finally, for the mooring and fastening of the FSRUs, slip hooks were installed on the mooring dolphins that are designed to withstand a weight of 150 metric tons.

In total, more than 7,000 metric tons of steel and in excess of 3,000 m2 of concrete were installed.