DEME has been awarded a contract1 for the construction of an offshore wind terminal in the Port of Cuxhaven in Germany. The terminal will boost Cuxhaven’s position as a key offshore industrial hub to support the handling of heavy-duty loads, particularly components for offshore wind farms.

Operated by Niedersachsen Ports (NPorts), the expanded offshore wind terminal will consist of three (5-7) berths and 1,250 metres of quay wall for heavy loads, as well as a storage area of 38 hectare.

As part of a consortium, which includes leading German civil marine construction companies Depenbrock and TAGU, DEME will carry out the dredging and land reclamation works, with a total volume of more than 3 million m3 expected to be reclaimed. Two trailing suction hopper dredgers, a backhoe dredger and several barges will be deployed.

Lutz Dröge, Area Manager Germany, says: “Construction of the expanded terminal requires an innovative technical approach. The project includes the installation of combi-walls and land reclamation in a dynamic estuarine environment, meeting the complex engineering requirements tailored to a heavy load terminal and demanding geotechnical conditions.”

With a proven track record in the Port of Cuxhaven, DEME and its consortium partners previously delivered the neighbouring berths 8 (2008–2009) and 4 (2016–2018), located directly east and west of the current project site. Additionally, DEME used Cuxhaven as the base port during the construction of the Borkum Riffgrund 2 offshore wind farm. DEME has a strong footprint in Germany, with notable projects such as the deepening of the Elbe River and the widening of the Kiel Canal.

The project will start in early 2025 and is expected to take 3.5 years. Upon completion, the terminal will play a key role in further advancing the energy transition in the North Sea region and the German government’s wind energy expansion targets.