Wind Farm Component Handling and Transport by Van der Vlist

The wind turbine parts for the Klaverspoor Wind Farm arrive by ship at the Van der Vlist terminal in Moerdijk. From there they are either stored until required or directly transported by road to the wind farm site by Van der Vlist Transport.

Proper preparation is required before unloading the ship, and then stacking, or loading and transporting the wind turbine components , with safety also playing an important role throughout these processes.

Unloading the wind turbine components from the ship requires the necessary expertise. For example the wind turbine blades can be longer than the distance between the tandom lift cranes lifting these 75m long blades and so they must be carefully manoeuvred between the cranes. The safe storage of these blades is also critical, they must be stored to withstand all weather conditions which can be quite severe in the coastal or riverside areas.

Due to the weight of the towers Van der Vlist has had to create an alternative route to transport these tower parts by road. The 75m long wind turbine blades protrude so far there is sometimes only a few centimetres of clearance to make a turn.

When completed, the Klaverspoor Wind Farm situated beside the south bound lane of the A16 motorway will produce energy equivalent to the average annual consumption of around 30,000 Dutch households.

Source Van der Vlist