IN Brief:
- PALFINGER will supply seven PF200-7m davit cranes for five North Sea HVDC converter platforms.
- The platforms will support German offshore grid connection programmes for Amprion and TenneT.
- Offshore wind build-out depends on converter platforms, lifting systems, marine logistics, long-lead equipment, and commissioning capacity.
PALFINGER has secured a North Sea offshore wind infrastructure contract to supply seven PF200-7m davit cranes for five high-voltage direct current converter platforms.
The agreement is with Dragados Offshore, the Spanish engineering, procurement, and construction contractor. The converter platforms form part of grid connection programmes supporting German transmission system operators Amprion and TenneT Germany.
Two Amprion offshore substations will each be fitted with two PF200-7m cranes. Three TenneT substations will receive one unit each. Once operational, the platforms will act as transmission hubs, linking offshore wind generation to the mainland grid.
Production is scheduled to begin in the first half of 2026, with deliveries continuing through the first quarter of 2028. Offshore commissioning is expected to run until the fourth quarter of 2031, reflecting the long delivery cycle attached to North Sea converter infrastructure.
The PF200-7m davit cranes are designed for offshore operating conditions, combining lifting performance with low weight, corrosion protection, and reduced maintenance requirements. On HVDC converter platforms, such equipment supports safe access, component handling, and operational maintenance in an environment where intervention windows are limited by weather, vessel availability, and offshore work planning.
The contract marks PALFINGER’s first collaboration with Dragados Offshore and its first project with Amprion. It is the company’s third major offshore substation programme for TenneT, following earlier work connected to Seatrium and Larsen & Toubro. PALFINGER said the latest project means it will have supplied davit cranes for 12 of the 15 TenneT offshore substations currently planned in German and Dutch waters.
Europe’s offshore wind targets rely on far more than turbine installation. Offshore electricity delivery requires converter platforms, export cables, substations, foundations, access systems, marine lifting packages, protection equipment, control systems, and long commissioning sequences. HVDC infrastructure is especially important as wind farms move farther from shore and require efficient transmission of large power volumes over longer distances.
German offshore delivery has already been moving through associated substation programmes, with Nordseecluster substations forming part of the electrical interface between turbines and the transmission system. The PALFINGER order sits within the same infrastructure chain, providing the handling and access equipment needed to keep converter platforms operable throughout their service lives.
Converter platforms concentrate a large amount of project risk. They are major offshore electrical assets, fabricated through complex yard programmes, installed in constrained marine windows, and commissioned around grid-connection schedules. Supporting equipment may represent a smaller share of total project value than the main electrical package, but poor access or lifting capability can create operational problems throughout the life of the asset.
The contract also shows how offshore wind supply chains are becoming more specialised. As Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, and other European markets pursue large offshore programmes at the same time, proven suppliers of marine electrical infrastructure and platform equipment are moving into more strategic positions. The bottlenecks are no longer confined to turbines and blades; cables, substations, HVDC equipment, vessels, cranes, and commissioning resource all shape delivery risk.
PALFINGER secured 42 davit crane orders for offshore substations in 2025, giving the company a growing position in the offshore grid infrastructure market. The latest North Sea order extends that pipeline into a multi-year delivery programme tied directly to German transmission expansion.
Offshore wind capacity becomes useful only when the electrical infrastructure behind it is built, commissioned, and maintainable. Converter platforms, lifting systems, cables, controls, and specialist marine equipment now form a critical layer of Europe’s offshore power system, with delivery timetables stretching well beyond the initial procurement announcement.
