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Narrator: NEPTUNE IS A SHIP OUT OF WATER.
AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT SHE'S MEANT TO BE.
Man: IT'S QUITE AMAZING.
Narrator: A BRAND-NEW JACK-UP VESSEL,
CUSTOM BUILT TO DELIVER AND ASSEMBLE
MASSIVE WIND TURBINES IN ROUGH SEAS.
Man: ROCK AND ROLL, LADIES.
Man: WE WORK THROUGH RAIN, WE WORK THROUGH SNOW,
BUT THE WIND IS THE BIGGEST KILLER.
Narrator: NEPTUNE MUST INSTALL 30 WIND TURBINES
IN JUST FIVE MONTHS.
Man: STOP THERE. STOP, STOP, STOP.
Man: WHEN YOU GET THE WEATHER WINDOW,
YOU REALLY WANT TO PUSH IT.
Narrator: IT'S GOING TO TAKE EVERYTHING SHE'S GOT
TO FINISH ON TIME.
THIS DOESN'T LOOK LIKE A TYPICAL SHIP.
THAT'S BECAUSE NEPTUNE BELONGS TO AN ELITE CLASS
KNOWN AS "JACK-UP VESSELS"--
SHIPS THAT USE HYDRAULIC LEGS
TO RAISE THEMSELVES OUT OF THE WATER.
THESE 260-FOOT CYLINDERS ARE HER LEGS--
RAISED ABOVE DECK WHEN SHE'S SAILING;
LOWERED INTO THE SEA FLOOR
WHEN SHE NEEDS TO BECOME A STABLE WORK PLATFORM.
BUILT IN THE NETHERLANDS,
196 FEET LONG,
126 FEET WIDE,
NEPTUNE IS A BRAND-NEW SHIP ON HER FIRST JOB:
TRANSPORTING AND ASSEMBLING
THE WORLD'S LARGEST, MOST POWERFUL WIND TURBINES.
RIGHT NOW, NEPTUNE IS WAITING TO LOAD UP
IN THE BELGIAN PORT OF OSTEND.
FROM HERE, SHE WILL SAIL 18 MILES
TO THE THORNTON BANK WIND FARM,
WHERE HER CREW MUST INSTALL 30 TURBINES
OVER THE NEXT FIVE MONTHS.
NEPTUNE'S WORKS MANAGER IS NORDINE SAIDI MAZAROU.
Narrator: EACH SIX-MEGAWATT TURBINE
IS MADE UP OF FOUR COMPONENTS:
TWO TOWER SECTIONS;
THE NACELLE, WHICH IS THE TURBINE'S ENGINE ROOM;
AND THE ROTOR ASSEMBLY.
ALL TOGETHER, THE TURBINE WEIGHS 770 TONS
AND STRETCHES 311 FEET ABOVE THE WATER.
THE ROTOR BLADES SPREAD OUT 413 FEET--
ALMOST DOUBLE THE WINGSPAN OF A 747.
ERECTING THESE TURBINES ON LAND WOULD BE DIFFICULT ENOUGH.
BUT THEY'RE BUILDING THEM OUT IN THE NORTH SEA,
WHERE THE SAME POWERFUL WINDS THAT WILL DRIVE THE TURBINES
CAN SHUT DOWN THE CONSTRUCTION IN A MATTER OF MINUTES.
EVEN THOUGH THIS IS HIS FIRST TOUR ON A JACK-UP VESSEL,
NO ONE KNOWS THE CHALLENGES OF WORKING OFFSHORE BETTER
THAN CAPTAIN FRANKY PEETERS.
Franky Peeters: EVERYTHING IS QUITE GOOD TIMING FOR NOW.
IT'S ALWAYS NICE TO WORK WITH NEW EQUIPMENT, NEW TECHNOLOGIES.
IT'S A VERY ADVANCED SHIP.
Narrator: BEFORE DEPARTURE,
CAPTAIN PEETERS MEETS WITH HIS CREW ON BOARD NEPTUNE
TO WORK OUT LAST-MINUTE DETAILS.
Nordine Saidi Mazarou: FIRST, THE WEATHER ASSESSMENT...
THERE WILL BE A LOT OF CURRENT
SO THAT COULD DELAY THE OPERATIONS A LITTLE BIT.
Narrator: THE LATEST FORECAST
PREDICTS DECENT WEATHER FOR TWO DAYS.
BUT THEY NEED THREE DAYS TO FULLY INSTALL A WIND TURBINE.
THAT'S NOT GOING TO STOP NEPTUNE.
Peeters: IT'S A GO FOR THIS NIGHT. NO PROBLEM.
Narrator: NEPTUNE'S JOURNEY TO BUILD HER SIXTH WIND TURBINE
BEGINS AT THE PIER IN OSTEND.
SHE ONLY HAS ROOM ON DECK TO TRANSPORT ONE TURBINE AT A TIME.
FOR THE LOADING,
SHE'S EXTENDING HER FOUR LEGS DOWN TO THE HARBOR FLOOR.
SHE NEEDS TO BE COMPLETELY STABLE
TO TAKE ON THE 770-TON CARGO:
THE TURBINE'S TWO TOWER SECTIONS,
THE NACELLE, OR ENGINE ROOM,
AND THE ROTOR.
TO STAY ON SCHEDULE,
THE CREW MUST LOAD ALL THESE PIECES
WITHIN THE NEXT TWELVE HOURS.
Man: OKAY, FABIO.
SLOWLY UP.
Narrator: A CRANE ON SHORE BEGINS MOVING THE TURBINE PIECES
ONTO NEPTUNE'S DECK.
Narrator: THIS SHORE CREW FROM GERMANY
IS IN CHARGE OF LOADING THE CARGO.
THEY DO NOT SAIL WITH THE SHIP.
FIRST, THE TWO TOWER SECTIONS.
THE TOP SECTION WEIGHS IN AT 110 TONS.
IT STRETCHES 110 FEET HIGH.
Man: OKAY, SLOWLY TURN LEFT.
Narrator: AT EVERY STAGE OF THE MOVE,
THE SHORE CREW HAS TO KEEP THE TOWER
FROM BEING ROCKED BY THE WIND.
Man: SLOWLY HOOK DOWN.
Narrator: THE CREW SPENDS TWO HOURS
GUIDING THE TOWER SECTIONS INTO THEIR DECK CRADLES...
AND THEN BOLTS THEM DOWN FOR THE RIDE TO THE WIND FARM.
NOW THE LOADING JOB GETS EVEN TOUGHER.
TIME TO BRING ON THE ROTOR.
WEIGHING IN AT 152 TONS, IT'S DESIGNED TO CATCH THE WIND.
NO PROBLEM ONCE IT'S BEEN INSTALLED OUT AT THE WIND FARM,
BUT THAT'S A MAJOR CONCERN DURING THE LOADING.
TO MAKE THE JOB EVEN TOUGHER,
THE ROTOR'S BLADES HAVE TO BE EASED ONTO THE DECK
BETWEEN NEPTUNE'S FOUR SOARING JACK-UP LEGS.
TO PREVENT THE BLADES FROM HITTING NEPTUNE'S LEGS,
LINES ARE USED TO STEADY THE 152-TON ROTOR.
TODAY, EVEN A SLIGHT WIND
HAS THE SHORE CREW STRUGGLING TO CONTROL THE ROTOR'S DESCENT.
AFTER A 90-MINUTE TUG-OF-WAR WITH THE WIND,
THE ROTOR TOUCHES DOWN ON THE DECK.
BUT THE CREW'S NOT DONE YET.
THEY STILL NEED TO LOAD THE 357-TON NACELLE,
THE TURBINE'S ENGINE ROOM.
KEEPING THIS MASS OF STEEL UNDER CONTROL
IS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL.
A REALLY STRONG GUST OF WIND
COULD TURN THE NACELLE INTO A WRECKING BALL.
THEIR FINAL CHALLENGE:
LANDING THIS HEFTY LOAD
PRECISELY IN ITS CRADLE ON THE SHIP'S DECK.
Man on radio: OKAY, ALEX, NOW IT'S FOR YOU.
Man: OKAY, SLOWLY TURN RIGHT. SLOWLY TURN RIGHT.
Narrator: FINALLY, THE LAST AND HEAVIEST PIECE
MAKES IT SAFELY ON BOARD.
Narrator: HER CREW OF 20 NOW PREPARES THE SHIP FOR DEPARTURE.
IT'S A SIX-HOUR SAIL TO THE WIND FARM.
IF THE WEATHER HOLDS OUT,
THE CREW WILL TAKE THREE DAYS TO INSTALL THE TURBINE
AND HEAD BACK TO OSTEND TO PICK UP ANOTHER,
AND THEN KEEP ON GOING.
IT'S 3:00 A.M., HIGH TIDE.
AND NEPTUNE IS SCHEDULED TO LEAVE PORT.
NEPTUNE LOWERS HERSELF TO THE WATERLINE,
RETRACTS HER LEGS,
AND TRANSFORMS INTO A SEAGOING VESSEL.
[MEN SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
Narrator: HARBOR PILOTS ARRIVE ON THE BRIDGE
TO GUIDE NEPTUNE AND HER EXTRA-WIDE LOAD
THROUGH THE NARROW CHANNEL.
THE PILOTS BRING SENSORS THAT USE GPS
AS WELL AS SHORE-BASED ANTENNAE.
THEY'RE EVEN MORE ACCURATE
THAN NEPTUNE'S ONBOARD NAVIGATION SYSTEM.
Man: SO WE GO UPSTAIRS.
WE HAVE TO TAKE CARE THAT THE ANTENNAS
ARE PUT IN THE CORRECT WAY
BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE ANY INTERFERENCE.
AND THEN WE SWITCH ON.
Narrator: THE TURBINE ROTOR BLADES HANGING OVER THE SIDES
ARE THREE TIMES WIDER THAN NEPTUNE HERSELF.
AT THE SHIPPING CHANNEL'S NARROWEST POINT,
NEPTUNE WILL HAVE LESS THAN 10 FEET OF CLEARANCE
BETWEEN THE BLADES AND THE CHANNEL WALLS.
TO KEEP THE ROTOR BLADES SAFE, THE PILOTS WILL NAVIGATE
USING A COMBINATION OF SATELLITE AND LAND SIGNALS
UNTIL THEY EXIT THE CHANNEL.
AS CAPTAIN PEETERS GUIDES NEPTUNE
SLOWLY INTO THE CHANNEL,
THE PILOTS CALL OUT HEADING CHANGES.
Narrator: NEPTUNE APPROACHES
THE MOST DANGEROUS STAGE OF HER DEPARTURE.
HARBOR CONTROL HAS ORDERED ALL TRAFFIC
TO STAY OUT OF THE CHANNEL WHILE NEPTUNE SQUEEZES THROUGH.
BUT THEN SUDDENLY, AN UNIDENTIFIED SHIP
IS SPOTTED ON RADAR COMING RIGHT FOR HER.
TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE,
THIS ONCOMING BOAT IS NOT RESPONDING TO ANY RADIO CONTACT.
Man: WE HAVE STRICT PRIORITY.
EVERYBODY HAS TO KEEP OUT OF THE WAY FOR THIS SHIP,
AND HE'S NOT LISTENING,
AND HE'S CAUSING A GREAT DANGER FOR EVERYBODY.
Narrator: HARBOR POLICE ARE FORCED TO INTERVENE.
Man: WE HAVE ALSO A POLICE PATROL
WHICH WENT UP TO THE FISHING BOAT.
TO HAVE CONTACT WITH HER.
APPARENTLY SHE SWITCHED OFF HER VHF
AND WAS NOT LISTENING.
Narrator: THE FISHING BOAT CLEARS OUT OF THE WAY.
IT'S A HUGE RELIEF.
Man: BY NIGHT TIME,
IT'S ALWAYS MORE DANGEROUS THAN BY DAYTIME OF COURSE.
Narrator: WITH THE CHANNEL NOW CLEAR,
NEPTUNE CAN EXIT THE HARBOR.
Man: CAPTAIN, ALL THE BEST. HAVE A GOOD TRIP.
Peeters: THANKS FOR THE COOPERATION
AND SEE YOU NEXT TIME.
Narrator: NOW, NEPTUNE HEADS FOR THE THORNTON BANK WIND FARM
18 MILES AWAY.
TO ARRIVE SAFELY,
THE DECK CREW MUST CHECK AND RECHECK
ALL THE LASHINGS AND BOLTS SECURING THE MASSIVE CARGO.
WITH THE OCEAN'S CONSTANT ROCKING,
EVEN A LOAD AS HEAVY AS 770 TONS CAN SHIFT.
ON HIS REGULAR ROUNDS, CREW MEMBER MARCO NAWROCKI
MAKES A STUNNING DISCOVERY.
MARCO ACTS IMMEDIATELY
TO KEEP THE CARGO AND THE SHIP SAFE.
SUNRISE,
AND NEPTUNE ARRIVES AT THE THORNTON BANK WIND FARM,
BELGIUM'S NEWEST AND MOST ADVANCED
OFFSHORE ENERGY PROJECT.
WHEN COMPLETE, IT WILL BOAST 54 TURBINES
CONNECTED TO AN OFFSHORE GENERATING STATION,
UNLEASHING 325 MEGAWATTS OF ELECTRICITY--
ENOUGH TO POWER A CITY OF 600,000.
NEPTUNE IS ABOUT TO INSTALL
THORNTON BANK'S TWELFTH WIND TURBINE.
FOR WORKS MANAGER NORDINE SAIDI MAZAROU,
IT'S THE JOB OF A LIFETIME.
Narrator: THE TURBINE FOUNDATIONS, CALLED JACKETS,
ARE ALREADY IN PLACE,
ANCHORED TO THE SEA FLOOR.
ALONGSIDE THE JACKET THEY'RE GOING TO WORK ON
IS A SMALLER JACK-UP VESSEL,
THE VAGANT.
IT ACTS AS AN ON-SITE HOTEL FOR A 28-MAN CREW
FROM THE GERMAN TURBINE MANUFACTURER.
THEY LIVE OUT HERE ON THE VAGANT FOR TWO WEEKS AT A TIME,
WHILE NEPTUNE SAILS BACK AND FORTH,
RELOADING IN OSTEND.
CAPTAIN PEETERS EASES NEPTUNE CLOSER TO THE JACKET.
NEPTUNE MUST PARK IN THE EXACT RIGHT SPOT
SO HER CRANE IS CLOSE ENOUGH TO LIFT AND INSTALL
THE TURBINE PIECES ONTO THE JACKET.
Nordine: IF WE ARE MISSING BY LET'S SAY FOUR OR FIVE METERS,
WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO LIFT ALL THE ELEMENTS ANYMORE.
SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE ARE NOW IN A GOOD POSITION.
Narrator: TO POSITION HER BESIDE THE JACKET,
THE CREW CALLS ON NEPTUNE'S
STATE-OF-THE-ART DYNAMIC POSITIONING SYSTEM.
Nordine: WE PUT IN THE POSITION OF THE JACKET
AND A PREDEFINED POSITION WHERE THE NEPTUNE SHOULD COME
TO BE ABLE TO INSTALL THE TURBINE.
Narrator: AS NEPTUNE APPROACHES THE JACKET,
DYNAMIC POSITIONING USES SIGNALS FROM SPACE
TO ESTABLISH AND HOLD HER TARGET POSITION
TO WITHIN JUST 20 INCHES.
CONSTANTLY RESPONDING TO THE SATELLITE DATA,
NEPTUNE'S FOUR PROPELLERS EACH ROTATE A FULL 360 DEGREES,
BATTLING CURRENTS FROM ANY DIRECTION
TO STABILIZE THE 5,700-TON SHIP.
NEPTUNE CREEPS CLOSER TO THE JACKET
UNTIL SHE IS 13 YARDS AWAY.
Nordine: WE ARE IN POSITION.
SO, YEAH, NOW THE ENTIRE JACKING PROCESS CAN START.
Narrator: WITH THE SHIP IN PLACE,
IT'S TIME TO LOWER HER FOUR ENORMOUS CYLINDRICAL LEGS
FROM DOWN THROUGH THE HULL TO THE OCEAN FLOOR.
THAT'S THE JOB OF NEPTUNE'S JACKING ENGINEER,
SERGE VLEMINCKX.
Serge Vleminckx: YEAH, IT'S COMING ON.
NEPTUNE'S FOUR LEGS ARE NOW TOUCHING THE SEA FLOOR,
BUT SERGE CANNOT JACK UP THE SHIP
UNTIL HE IS CERTAIN THE MUDDY BOTTOM
IS SOLID ENOUGH TO SECURELY SUPPORT NEPTUNE'S WEIGHT.
HE'S CONCERNED THAT ONE OF THE LEGS COULD PUNCH THROUGH
A SOFT SPOT IN THE SEA FLOOR,
CAUSING NEPTUNE'S 770-TON LOAD TO SHIFT.
TESTING FOR THESE DANGEROUS SOFT SPOTS,
SERGE GRADUALLY EASES THE SHIP'S WEIGHT ONTO THE LEGS.
IF A PUNCH-THROUGH HAPPENS AT THIS STAGE,
WITH NEPTUNE STILL AT THE WATERLINE,
THE SHIP AND HER LEGS WILL NOT BE DAMAGED.
Serge: WE HAVE TO BE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT HAVING A PUNCH-THROUGH
ONCE THE VESSEL IS OUT OF THE WATER.
IF WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A PUNCH-THROUGH,
WE WANT TO HAVE IT WHEN WE ARE IN THE WATER.
Narrator: FOR AN HOUR,
SERGE CAREFULLY PUSHES THE LEGS DOWN INTO THE SEA FLOOR.
NOW IT'S TIME FOR NEPTUNE TO MAKE
THE REMARKABLE TRANSFORMATION FROM TRANSPORT VESSEL
TO STABLE OFFSHORE CONSTRUCTION PLATFORM.
NEPTUNE HAS FOUR MASSIVE HYDRAULIC LIFTERS
LOCATED ON HER CORNERS.
13 FEET IN DIAMETER,
THESE LIFTERS CLAMP ONTO THE LEGS
AND JACK-UP NEPTUNE
UNTIL SHE'S SUSPENDED ABOVE THE WATER'S SURFACE.
Serge: WE ARE NOW JACKING UP UNTIL OUR WORKING LEVEL,
16 METERS ABOVE SEA LEVEL.
Narrator: THE HUGE HYDRAULIC LIFTERS DO THEIR JOB SMOOTHLY,
AND NEPTUNE STEADILY RISES OUT OF THE WATER
AND ABOVE BOTH THE JACKET AND THE OTHER BARGE.
Nordine: WE WILL BE POSITIONED
FOUR METERS HIGHER THAN THE JACKET,
AND I THINK EVEN SIX METERS HIGHER THAN THE VAGANT.
Serge: NO PROBLEMS ON THE POSITIONING SYSTEM
AND NO PROBLEMS ON THE JACKING SYSTEM.
SO FINGERS CROSSED.
Narrator: A GANGWAY IS MOVED INTO POSITION,
AND THE TURBINE ASSEMBLY CREW CLAMBERS ACROSS THE BARGE
ONTO NEPTUNE TO GET TO WORK.
TWO CREWS OF FOURTEEN MEN EACH
WORK AROUND THE CLOCK IN TWELVE-HOUR SHIFTS.
SITE MANAGER JOHN FANNIN
IS IN CHARGE OF BUILDING THE TURBINE ON TOP OF THE JACKET.
John Fannin: SO THAT SHOULD BE STRONG ENOUGH
TO DO WHAT WE NEED.
OUR BIGGEST CONCERN IS THE WIND.
WE CAN WORK 24 HOURS A DAY, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK,
IF THE WIND ALLOWS.
Narrator: JOHN IS AT THE END OF HIS TWO-WEEK-LONG ROTATION
OUT HERE AT THORNTON BANK.
THE FORECAST CALLS FOR THE WIND TO PICK UP,
BUT HE'S HOPING TO BUILD ONE MORE TURBINE
BEFORE HE GOES HOME.
John: WE WORK THROUGH RAIN, WE WORK THROUGH SNOW,
BUT THE WIND... THE WIND IS THE BIGGEST KILLER.
Narrator: A WIND SPEED OF 11 METERS PER SECOND,
OR 25 MILES PER HOUR,
WILL SHUT DOWN THIS ENTIRE OPERATION.
NEPTUNE'S CRANE IS SWUNG INTO POSITION
AND HOOKED INTO THE FIRST TOWER SECTION.
WORKING BENEATH THE 154-TON STEEL CYLINDER,
THE CREW MOVES TO UNDO THE BOLTS
AND LIFT THE TOWER TO THE JACKET.
ONE PIECE IN PLACE.
THREE MORE TO COMPLETE THIS TURBINE.
BUT THEN, WHAT EVERY CREW MEMBER DREADS:
THE TWO DAYS OF GOOD WORKING WEATHER
THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE SUDDENLY VANISH.
THE WIND PICKS UP,
RACING OVER THE 25-MILE-PER-HOUR SAFETY LIMIT.
John: THE WIND HAS GOT UP NOW.
IT'S OUTSIDE OUR SAFE WORKING LIMITS.
WE'VE NOW SHUT DOWN ALL OPERATIONS,
AND THE FORECAST IS LOOKING REALLY BAD
FOR LIKE THE NEXT TWO, TWO AND A HALF DAYS.
SO ALL THE BOYS NOW WILL GO ON STANDBY.
Narrator: IT'S THE AWFUL IRONY OF THIS JOB.
THE NORTH SEA IS A PERFECT PLACE TO OPERATE A WIND FARM,
BUT THE WORST PLACE TO BUILD ONE.
IN THE UNPREDICTABLE NORTH SEA OFF THE COAST OF BELGIUM,
BAD WEATHER HAS SHUT DOWN ALL THE WORK
AT THE THORNTON BANK WIND FARM.
THE CREW WAS ONLY ABLE TO INSTALL
THE BOTTOM SECTION OF THE TURBINE TOWER
BEFORE BEING FORCED TO STOP.
WITH THIS WEATHER DELAY, CAPTAIN FRANKY PEETERS
SEES NEPTUNE BEGINNING TO FALL BEHIND SCHEDULE.
Narrator: THAT MEANS A COSTLY DELAY
OF MORE THAN TWO DAYS.
SITE MANAGER JOHN FANNIN AND HIS CREW
ARE ON HOLD UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
John: UNFORTUNATELY WHEN WE HAVE WEATHER CONDITIONS LIKE THIS,
YOU CAN BE STUCK OUT HERE FOR A LONG TIME.
Nordine: IT'S NOT VERY NICE TO BE HERE OUTSIDE,
WAITING FOR A WEATHER WINDOW.
THAT'S THE MOST ANNOYING PART OF THE JOB.
Narrator: AFTER TWO AND A HALF DAYS STUCK IN IDLE,
THERE'S GOOD NEWS FOR THE CREW.
THE WIND HAS FINALLY STARTED TO DROP.
IT'S 3:30 A.M.--
NOT AN UNUSUAL TIME TO START WORK
WHEN THE JOB GOES 24-7.
John: THE WIND'S LOOKING REALLY GOOD AT THE MOMENT.
IT'S COMING DOWN.
IT'S NOW BLOWING BETWEEN 10s AND 11s,
SO IT'S WITHIN OUR LIMITS.
SO, YEAH, WE'RE GOOD TO GO.
Narrator: TO BUILD THE TURBINE,
FOUR PIECES NEED TO COME TOGETHER:
TWO TOWER SECTIONS, THE NACELLE, AND THE ROTOR.
WHEN HIGH WINDS STOPPED WORK,
THE CREW HAD ONLY MANAGED TO INSTALL THE BOTTOM TOWER
OF THE WIND TURBINE.
FROM THE HANDS ON DECK TO THE CRANE OPERATOR 36 FEET ABOVE,
JOHN AND HIS TEAM PREPARE TO LIFT 110 TONS INTO PLACE.
John: WE'RE ABOUT TO HOOK IN THE TOP TOWER
AND GET IT READY TO LIFT AND PUT ON TOP OF THE BOTTOM TOWER.
Narrator: NEPTUNE'S CRANE LATCHES ONTO THE TOWER.
THEN THE BOLTS COME OFF.
John: YEAH, IT'S ALL READY TO LIFT NOW.
EVERYTHING'S RELEASED.
Narrator: THE CREW HAS TO MAKE SURE
THE LOAD DOESN'T SWING WILDLY
AND DAMAGE THE SHIP OR OTHER TURBINE PARTS.
John: THEY'VE GOT TAGLINES IN THEIR HANDS,
AND THEY'RE THERE TO STEADY THE TOWER,
TO STOP IT FROM SWINGING.
THAT MAY SOUND A BIT FUNNY-- IT'S 110 TONS--
BUT THEY WILL HAVE SOME CONTROL OVER THE TAGLINES.
Narrator: NEPTUNE'S CRANE OPERATOR MARTIN WILSON
IS SO FAR AWAY FROM THE CONTACT POINT
BETWEEN THE TOWER SECTIONS,
HE'S ALMOST WORKING BLIND.
HE RELIES ON DIRECTIONS FROM A CREW MEMBER DOWN ON THE DECK.
Martin Wilson: I'VE GOT TO LISTEN TO THE MAN DOWNSTAIRS.
HE'S MORE IN CHARGE THAN ME, REALLY.
HE TELLS ME WHAT'S WHAT, WHEN TO STOP, WHEN TO GO,
HOW FAR TO GO.
YOU'VE GOT TO BE CONCENTRATING ALL THE TIME.
IT'S VERY DEMANDING.
Voice over radio: AND STOP.
A LITTLE BIT MORE UP.
AND POWER STOP, ALL STOP.
Martin: THE PRESSURE THAT YOU'RE UNDER DRIVING THE CRANE
CAN BE QUITE CONSIDERABLE.
OBVIOUSLY I'VE GOT A LOT OF MEN TO THINK ABOUT,
YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF WEIGHT THAT YOU'RE CARRYING.
Man: MARTIN, HOW MANY TONS HAVE YOU NOW?
Martin: I'VE GOT 50 TON THERE. 50 TON.
Narrator: IT TAKES THE CREW FIFTEEN MINUTES
TO POSITION THE TOP TOWER SECTION
OVER THE BASE ALREADY SECURED ON THE JACKET.
NOW THEY WILL LOWER ITS 110 TONS,
FIGHTING THE WIND THE WHOLE WAY DOWN.
John: THE TOWER IS DANCING AROUND
BECAUSE THE WIND IS ON THE LIMIT.
BUT THE BOYS WILL GET THE GUIDE PINS IN REALLY SOON,
AND THEN THEY'LL STITCH THE TWO FLANGES TOGETHER.
Voice over radio: AWESOME, AWESOME.
Narrator: BOLTED TOGETHER,
THE TWO TOWER SECTIONS STRETCH 223 FEET HIGH.
NOW THE CREW FACES ITS NEXT HURDLE.
THE TOWER WON'T BE STABLE
UNTIL THE 357-TON NACELLE IS INSTALLED ON TOP.
THIS WOULD BE A DANGEROUS POINT TO BE SHUT DOWN BY THE WEATHER.
John: WE'RE ALWAYS WATCHING THE WIND,
AND AT THE MOMENT,
IT'S STAYING BETWEEN 7.9 AND 9 METERS PER SECOND,
GETTING UP TO 10 METERS PER SECOND.
IT'S WELL WITHIN OUR RANGE.
Narrator: BUT SUDDENLY, A PROBLEM...
JUST AS THEY'RE READY TO LIFT.
John: STOP THERE. STOP, STOP, STOP, STOP, STOP.
THAT SLING IS TWISTED.
IT HAS TO COME ALL THE WAY DOWN, AND WE DO IT AGAIN.
Narrator: IF THE CRANE WERE TO LIFT WITH A TWISTED SLING,
THE LOAD COULD SLIP IN AN INSTANT.
JOHN CANNOT TAKE THAT CHANCE.
John: WE NEED TO TAKE THE TWIST OUT.
IF YOU LIFT THAT OPEN NOW...
NOW LEAVE THAT ONE UP THERE. LEAVE THAT ONE UP.
LEAVE THIS ONE DOWN.
YEAH, THAT LOOKS REALLY GOOD NOW.
Narrator: THE NACELLE IS SLOWLY LIFTED OFF THE DECK.
John: ON THE HOOK RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE 324 METRIC TONS.
MAIN SHAFT WINCH.
John: YEAH, FRONT WINCH, TAKE TENSION.
TELL ME WHEN TO STOP.
OKAY, THEY'VE GOT THE GUIDE PINS OUT NOW.
Voice over radio: OKAY, MARTIN.
John: THIS IS THE FINAL PART
OF THE LIFT OFF THE TRANSPORT FRAME.
THAT'S A PERFECT LIFT.
NO PROBLEM AT ALL FOR THESE GUYS.
VERY WELL DONE. BUT I WON'T TELL THEM THAT.
[LAUGHS]
Narrator: SUSPENDED FAR ABOVE THE DECK,
THE CRANE'S BOOM ARM
MOVES THE 357-TON NACELLE TOWARDS THE TOWER SECTION.
A TENSE MOMENT FOR THE CREW BELOW.
John: I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE REAR OF THE NACELLE
BLOWING BACK AROUND AND HITTING THE BOOM.
THAT IS A BIG PROBLEM IF THAT HAPPENS.
Narrator: BUT MARTIN IS ON THE JOB,
KEEPING CLOSE WATCH OVER EVERY SHIFT AND TURN.
Martin: IT'S A PRECISION THING.
YOU CAN'T JUST HAMMER IT STRAIGHT DOWN
AND SAY, "THERE YOU GO."
Narrator: FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER,
AND THE NACELLE IS SAFELY SEATED ON THE TOWER SECTIONS.
John: IT'S BEEN A GOOD NIGHT,
A VERY PRODUCTIVE NIGHT.
SOME GUYS WOULDN'T ACTUALLY LIFT WITH THIS CROSSWIND,
SO, YEAH, VERY SUCCESSFUL NIGHT FOR US.
Narrator: ALL THAT'S LEFT TO COMPLETE THIS WIND TURBINE
IS INSTALLING THE ROTOR ASSEMBLY.
THE HARDEST PART OF THE JOB IS YET TO COME.
NEPTUNE'S CREW IS MOVING QUICKLY
TO ASSEMBLE A SIX-MEGAWATT WIND TURBINE.
THEY'VE ALREADY LOST TWO AND A HALF DAYS
BECAUSE OF HIGH WINDS.
BUT FINALLY, THEY'RE WORKING IN A PERFECT WEATHER WINDOW.
Man: READY? OKAY. HOOK UP, HOOK UP.
Narrator: THE WIND SPEEDS RIGHT NOW
ARE WELL BELOW THE CUT-OFF OF 11 METERS PER SECOND,
OR 25 MILES PER HOUR.
THE CREW RELEASES THE BOLTS HOLDING THE ROTOR IN PLACE
AND THEN ATTACHES THE LIFTING SLINGS TO THE CRANE HOOK.
THESE GUIDE PINS INSERTED INTO THE ROTOR
WILL HELP POSITION THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLY
ONTO THE NACELLE.
THE ROTOR IS SLOWLY LIFTED INTO A VERTICAL POSITION
BEFORE MOVING ACROSS THE DECK TO THE TOWER.
WITH CLEAR SKIES AND LOW WIND,
THE JOB'S NEVER GOING TO BE ANY EASIER THAN RIGHT NOW.
ERIK LATHOUWERS WORKS FOR C-POWER,
THE COMPANY THAT OWNS THE WIND FARM.
HE'S MAKING SURE EVERYTHING IS DONE BY THE BOOK.
Erik Lathouwers: WE HAVE A LOT OF HIGH OBSTACLES,
SO IT'S A VERY, VERY SLOW OPERATION
TO MAKE SURE NO DAMAGE, NO TOUCHING, NOTHING.
Narrator: AFTER TWO HOURS,
THE DAY CREW MANAGES TO THREAD THE ROTOR INTO THE NACELLE.
Erik: THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE WAY IT SHOULD BE.
YEAH, THIS IS WHAT WE WANT.
SMOOTH OPERATION, QUICK, NO PROBLEMS--
THE WAY IT SHOULD BE, YEAH.
Narrator: THIS TURBINE ASSEMBLY IS COMPLETE,
BUT IT'S TAKEN TWO DAYS LONGER THAN PLANNED.
Serge: IT IS NORMAL THAT WE ARE DELAYED EVERY TIME A LITTLE BIT
BECAUSE, YEAH, THEY WOULDN'T BUILD A WIND FARM
WHERE THERE'S NO WIND OF COURSE.
HOPEFULLY WE CAN DO THE OTHER ONES A LITTLE BIT FASTER,
BUT YOU CAN'T FIGHT THE WEATHER, OF COURSE.
Narrator: NORDINE IS ALREADY WEIGHING THE ODDS
FOR THE NEXT TURBINE ASSEMBLY.
A NASTY STORM IS ON THE WAY.
Nordine: AS THE WEATHER FORECAST LOOKS NOW,
WE WILL BE DEPENDENT ON A COUPLE OF HOURS
TO BE ABLE TO PUT THE NEXT TURBINE.
IT SOUNDS A LITTLE STRANGE
BECAUSE YOU HAVE THREE DAYS TO PUT UP A TURBINE,
BUT SOMETIMES THE TWO HOURS CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
Narrator: WITH NO TIME TO LOSE,
NEPTUNE SETS OUT FOR OSTEND TO LOAD ANOTHER TURBINE.
BACK IN PORT,
THE TOWER SECTIONS HAVE BEEN LOADED.
THE ROTOR ASSEMBLY IS MID-LIFT,
AND THE NACELLE IS NEXT.
THE CREW RACES TO FINISH THE LOAD.
AS NIGHT FALLS,
NEPTUNE IS READY TO SAIL BACK OUT TO THE WIND FARM,
AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.
Peeters: JURGEN?
Narrator: CAPTAIN PEETERS KNOWS
BAD WEATHER IS HEADING TOWARDS THE WIND FARM,
BUT HE WANTS TO GO AHEAD WITH THE NEXT INSTALLATION.
Narrator: IT'S FRIDAY THE 13th,
JUST BEFORE DAWN,
AND NEPTUNE HAS ARRIVED ON SITE--
NOT A MOMENT TOO SOON
FOR WORKS MANAGER NORDINE SAIDI MAZAROU.
Nordine: THE LOW PRESSURE AREA IS COMING, BIG WAVES ARE COMING,
A LOT OF WIND IS COMING.
SO WE WANT TO FINISH THIS TURBINE
AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
Narrator: CAPTAIN PEETERS MANEUVERS NEPTUNE INTO POSITION,
BUT HE'S FIGHTING THE OCEAN SWELL.
WHILE SHE'S SAILING,
NEPTUNE'S LEGS EXTEND UP TO 223 FEET ABOVE DECK.
NOW AS SHE APPROACHES THE JACKET OR TURBINE FOUNDATION,
SHE STARTS TO LOWER HER LEGS
UNTIL THEY'RE LESS THAN 16 FEET ABOVE THE SEAFLOOR.
WITH THE BIG SWELLS,
THIS IS THE MOST VULNERABLE TIME OF THE ENTIRE JOURNEY
FOR NEPTUNE.
THE OCEAN IS PITCHING HER UP AND DOWN.
IF THE SWELLS GROW TOO ROUGH,
NEPTUNE'S LEGS COULD BE SLAMMED ONTO THE OCEAN FLOOR.
FOR JACKING ENGINEER SERGE VLEMINCKX
AND THE ENTIRE CREW,
THE STAKES ARE CRITICAL.
SERGE LOWERS NEPTUNE'S LEGS FIRMLY INTO THE OCEAN FLOOR.
Nordine: BRING IT DOWN, BRING IT DOWN.
Narrator: A LIGHT FOG IS SETTING OVER
THE THORNTON BANK WIND FARM.
VISIBILITY MAY BE LOW, BUT SO IS THE WIND.
IN THE NORTH SEA, THAT COULD CHANGE IN A MATTER OF HOURS.
Man: GOOD MORNING, GENTLEMEN.
Narrator: TURBINE ASSEMBLY SUPERVISOR MICHAEL WOLF
PUTS HIS TEAM STRAIGHT TO WORK.
Narrator: THE FIRST TOWER SECTION
IS UNBOLTED AND HOOKED UP TO THE CRANE.
Michael Wolf: THESE ARE FINE.
Narrator: THE 154-TON TOWER
IS SOON COMPLETELY SUSPENDED IN MID-AIR.
AND IF ANYONE ON THE TEAM IS SUPERSTITIOUS,
MICHAEL ISN'T LETTING ON.
Narrator: SO FAR SO GOOD,
BUT THERE'S ALWAYS ROOM FOR WORRY.
Nordine: IF SOMETHING WERE TO HAPPEN,
IF THE TURBINE INSTALLATION DOESN'T GO SMOOTHLY,
YEAH, WE'LL DEFINITELY MISS THE WEATHER WINDOW
TO INSTALL THE WHOLE TURBINE.
Narrator: THE STORM IS BREWING CLOSE BY.
NEPTUNE'S CREW HAS TO INSTALL THIS TURBINE BEFORE IT HITS.
WORKS MANAGER NORDINE SAIDI MAZAROU
AND CAPTAIN FRANKY PEETERS
PORE OVER THE LAST FORECAST.
IT'S NOT GOOD NEWS.
Nordine: THANK YOU.
Peeters: YOU'RE WELCOME.
Narrator: THE TEAM IS NOW READY
TO LIFT THE SECOND TOWER SECTION INTO PLACE,
BUT THERE'S A PROBLEM UP IN THE CRANE CAB.
CRANE OPERATOR RAY ROBLEY CALLS THE SHIP'S ELECTRICIAN,
SECOND ENGINEER JAN WILLEM VAN DEN BOS.
Ray Robley: ANY IDEAS?
HE'S COMING UP.
Narrator: WITH THE STORM ONLY 14 HOURS AWAY,
ALL THIS PRECIOUS GOOD WEATHER IS GOING TO WASTE.
BUT AS THE CRANE SITS IDLE, STRESS LEVELS BEGIN TO CLIMB.
Nordine: I'M FEELING A LITTLE NERVOUS
BECAUSE I REALLY WANT THIS TURBINE
TO BE COMPLETE IN ONE SETTING,
TO BE ABLE TO SAIL BACK TO THE PORT
PRIOR TO THE BAD WEATHER COMING UP.
Narrator: JAN CLIMBS UP TO THE CRANE CAB
TO SORT OUT THE DELAY.
THEY FIND A PROBLEM WITH THE POWER SOURCE
BETWEEN THE ENGINE ROOM AND THE CRANE.
JAN ORDERS A RESET.
Voice over radio: HELLO?
NOW THE CRANE HAS BEEN DOWN FOR ALMOST 45 MINUTES.
MORE VALUABLE WORKING WEATHER IS BEING LOST.
Jan: OKAY.
YEAH, IT'S WORKING, IT'S WORKING.
Ray: BINGO! WE'RE BACK IN BUSINESS.
A SIMPLE FUSE BROUGHT A MEGA-MILLION DOLLAR PROJECT
TO A STANDSTILL IN THE TEETH OF AN ONCOMING STORM.
THE SECOND TOWER SECTION IS HOOKED UP
AND MOVED TO THE JACKET.
ONCE THE TWO TOWER SECTIONS ARE MATED,
THE CREW IMMEDIATELY BOLTS THEM TOGETHER.
ON THE DECK, THE NACELLE IS PREPARED FOR LIFTING.
TURBINE ASSEMBLY SUPERVISOR MICHAEL WOLF KNOWS
THIS 357-TON ENGINE ROOM
IS VULNERABLE TO EVEN THE SLIGHTEST BREEZE.
CAREFULLY DRIFTED OVER THE TOP TOWER SECTION,
THE NACELLE IS LOWERED INTO PLACE.
ALL THAT'S LEFT IS THE ROTOR ASSEMBLY.
Michael: I'M HAPPY.
WE ERECTED TWO TOWER SECTIONS AND THE NACELLE.
Narrator: EVENING FALLS, AND THE NEXT SHIFT TAKES OVER.
ON DECK, SITE MANAGER BURKHARD MAASS
IS BRIEFING HIS TEAM.
THEY NEED TEN HOURS OF GOOD WEATHER
TO INSTALL THE ROTOR.
JUST AS THE NIGHT SHIFT IS ABOUT TO START,
BURKHARD SPOTS A POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARD.
Man: THESE ONES? Burkhard: YEAH, ONLY THESE ONES.
Man: COME IN, MARTIN.
Man: YEAH, GO, MATE.
Narrator: WITH THE LIGHTS DIMMED,
THE ROTOR IS LIFTED DOWN FROM ITS CRADLE,
AND THE CREW CLEANS AND PREPS THE MATING SURFACE.
PUTTING THESE TURBINES TOGETHER NEVER GETS DULL FOR BURKHARD.
THE ROTOR ASSEMBLY IS NOW DANGLING MID-LIFT.
IT'S THE LAST COMPONENT FOR COMPLETING THIS WIND TURBINE.
BUT ONE BIG QUESTION HANGS OVERHEAD:
WILL THE CREW BE ABLE TO FINISH
BEFORE THEY ARE SHUT DOWN BY THE ONCOMING STORM?
THE MASSIVE ROTOR ASSEMBLY IS BEING MOVED TOWARDS THE NACELLE
UNDER THE WATCHFUL EYE OF SUPERVISOR BURKHARD MAASS.
THE ROTOR IS IN PLACE.
NEPTUNE HAS SUCCESSFULLY PUT TOGETHER
HER SEVENTH WIND TURBINE.
DAWN BREAKS OVER THE THORNTON BANK WIND FARM.
NEPTUNE IS GETTING READY TO SAIL BACK TO PORT...
AND NOT A MOMENT TOO SOON.
THE WIND IS ALREADY BEGINNING TO PICK UP.
Nordine: IT WILL GET WORSE IN THE AFTERNOON.
BUT WE ARE READY.
WE MANAGED TO FINISH ON TIME.
WE HAVE A SUFFICIENT WEATHER WINDOW TO GET BACK INTO PORT
BEFORE THE WIND IS REALLY PICKING UP.
Narrator: LOWERING DOWN 52 FEET,
NEPTUNE MORPHS BACK INTO AN OCEAN-GOING VESSEL.
Serge: WE'RE JUST LOWERING THE VESSEL AT THE MOMENT.
WE ARE ALMOST TOUCHING WATER.
WE ARE GETTING OUT OF HERE RIGHT ON TIME,
BEFORE THE STORM HITS US.
Narrator: ENTERING THE PORT OF OSTEND
WITHOUT A 770-TON WIND TURBINE ON DECK
MAKES THE CAPTAIN'S JOB A LOT EASIER.
NEPTUNE RETURNS TO PORT,
AND THEN THE BAD WEATHER FINALLY HITS,
KEEPING HER STUCK IN OSTEND FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS.
Nordine: IT'S CALCULATED THAT WE WILL HAVE SOME WEATHER DELAY,
BUT IT'S ALWAYS NICE TO KEEP SOMETHING GOING.
Narrator: AS A BRAND-NEW JACK-UP VESSEL,
NEPTUNE HAS PERFORMED EXACTLY AS DESIGNED,
TAKING ON THE FULL FORCE OF THE TURBULENT NORTH SEA.
Nordine: IT'S AN AMAZING VESSEL.
IT'S A DELIGHT TO WORK WITH.
Narrator: SHE HAS SUCCESSFULLY INSTALLED SEVEN WIND TURBINES.
23 MORE TO GO IN THIS PHASE OF THE PROJECT.
FOUR MORE MONTHS LIE AHEAD,
FIGHTING ROUGH WEATHER AND TIGHT SCHEDULES
TO BUILD THE BIGGEST, MOST POWERFUL WIND TURBINES
ON THE PLANET.
IF ANY SHIP CAN FINISH THE JOB ON TIME,
IT'S THE INDOMITABLE JACK-UP VESSEL, NEPTUNE.