Cadeler Accelerates Offshore Wind Capacity With Latest Vessel Delivery Milestone

Cadeler has achieved a significant expansion of its offshore wind installation capabilities with the successful delivery of Wind Mover, marking the tenth installation vessel in the company’s rapidly growing fleet. The vessel arrived ahead of schedule and is already contracted for immediate deployment across European offshore wind projects.

Fleet Expansion Reaches New Heights

The arrival of Wind Mover represents more than routine vessel delivery—it signals Cadeler’s aggressive scaling strategy in a market where installation capacity has become a critical bottleneck. As the second M-class series vessel (following Wind Maker’s earlier arrival), Wind Mover joins a fleet that has undergone extraordinary transformation. In just twelve months, Cadeler has doubled its operational capacity from five vessels to ten, fundamentally reshaping its position in the global offshore wind sector.

This expansion trajectory is unprecedented for the industry. By mid-2027, the company targets a 12-vessel fleet—positioning itself as the largest and most versatile installation fleet available for offshore wind projects. This scaling matters because next-generation offshore wind turbines are increasingly massive and complex, demanding specialized vessels with superior lifting capabilities and dynamic positioning systems.

Technical Specifications Built for Tomorrow’s Projects

Wind Mover enters service equipped with specifications designed for the industry’s most demanding installations. The vessel features a 2,600-tonne main crane capable of handling the largest turbines currently being deployed. Its DP2 positioning system enables precise operations in challenging conditions, while its operational range extends to water depths of 65 metres—sufficient for most current and near-term European offshore wind developments.

The vessel’s design reflects collaboration between Cadeler and leading maritime technology partners including Hanwha Ocean (the South Korean shipbuilder), ABB, Kongsberg, GustoMSC, and Huisman. This partnership approach prioritized efficiency in offshore environments, integrating advanced positioning technology with robust lifting infrastructure to handle both installation and long-term maintenance operations.

Strategic Implications for Offshore Wind Development

Cadeler’s CEO, Mikkel Gleerup, framed the Wind Mover delivery within the company’s broader strategic vision: expanding the fleet to meet “the scale and complexity of global offshore wind projects.” This statement reflects a fundamental market dynamic—the offshore wind sector faces capacity constraints as developers pursue increasingly ambitious projects across Europe and beyond.

The vessel’s immediate assignment to European projects underscores strong market demand. With five newbuild vessels delivered within a single calendar year, Cadeler has essentially rewritten the available supply of specialized installation capacity, shifting the competitive dynamics within the offshore wind services sector.

Wind Mover’s successful delivery ahead of schedule and within budget, combined with a strong safety record during construction, demonstrates operational discipline across a complex shipbuilding and integration process. The vessel represents the convergence of offshore engineering expertise, advanced maritime technology, and capital deployment focused on renewable energy infrastructure.

Cadeler’s dual exchange listings—on the New York Stock Exchange (CDLR) and Oslo Stock Exchange (CADLR)—reflect its positioning as a pure-play offshore wind services company. The aggressive fleet expansion strategy signals management confidence in sustained demand for offshore wind installation capacity throughout the 2020s.