SAL Renewables rebranded as Atheleon

SAL Renewables, the dedicated offshore unit for service, maintenance and installation, within the Harren Group has decided to change its name to Atheleon, effective September 26, 2022. The Atheleon team is already busy working on an ambitious newbuilding project for the US offshore wind market.

Commenting on the decision, Heiko Felderhoff, managing director of the Harren Group and Atheleon, said, “We see that the time is right to continue our successful journey in the offshore sector under a strong, new and independent name – Atheleon. SAL Heavy Lift holds a leading strategic position within project shipping, and we want to ensure that our customers understand the difference in our service offerings. We realised the brands were too closely associated. Atheleon will continue to represent an epiphany of quality and technical know-how.”

Atheleon is thereby the new go-to market brand for dedicated offshore assignments, especially the renewables sector. “Atheleon has an exceptional portfolio for its customers: We have a single point of contact for all installation and maintenance services, employ a team of more than 50 engineers and also own all the necessary assets. In addition, we have decades of experience in the offshore industry,” Felderhoff said.

Atheleon will market the offshore jack-up installation vessels Wind Lift I and Thor, that it acquired in 2021 and 2022, respectively, together with special vessels such as the Mexican Giant and the VB-10,000. The close cooperation with Wind Multiplikator and OWS Offshore Wind Solutions will also continue, unaffected by the name change.

Atheleon also sees immense potential in the US market. “We are working with our partners ONP Management and Renewable Resources Int’l to bring an offshore wind installation concept to the US market,” explains Felderhoff. “The so-called Feederdock concept will be Jones Act compliant and is a dedicated solution to the rising US offshore transport and installation market.”

Feederdock is designed to support the installation of foundation weights of up to 2,800 t and future wind turbine generations with an anticipated capacity of 25 MW and more. It comes with a variety of innovative technical features and follows a strict green design philosophy. Atheleon defined vessel specifications with a crane capacity of 3,000 t and a crane hook height of up to 182 m above deck as key performance criteria. “We are confident that we will be able to bring the ship to market in 2026,” stresses Felderhoff.

Harren Group CEO Dr Martin Harren underlines the importance of the renewable energy sector for the entire Group: “Wind energy has become an increasingly important cornerstone of our business in recent years. We are determined to make our contribution to the global energy transition. It’s impossible to overemphasise the importance of the wind market for our Group. Atheleon is the next logical and consistent step to further expanding our commitment in this segment. We offer the renewable energy market a comprehensive range of installation and maintenance services while meeting the highest standards and expectations of these customers.”