Supporting abnormal load movements for Ørsted’s Hornsea 3 Offshore Wind Farm
Yesterday (Sunday 18th January 2026) marked the culmination of several years of collaborative work between our team, Ørsted, Hitachi, National Highways, Norfolk County Council, Norfolk Police and the wider project team, as the first of eight major abnormal load movements was successfully delivered in support of the Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm.
The operation involved the transportation of a transformer required to convert power generated by the offshore wind farm. The transformer was successfully escorted from King’s Lynn port to the new converter station at Swardeston, south of Norwich. Travelling at a maximum speed of 12mph, the convoy set off at 6.30am.
Due to its exceptional size and weight, the transformer is classified as an abnormal load. It was transported on a 28-axle girder frame trailer measuring up to 85 metres in length, 5.4 metres in width and 5.2 metres in height, with a gross weight of up to 350 tonnes. The movement was powered by two 250-tonne capacity tractor units, supported by a specialist team responsible for trailer operation and ground safety management.
Create’s involvement in Hornsea 3 spans several years, beginning in 2018 with support for the Development Consent Order. Since then, we have continued to provide technical services and specialist advice throughout the project lifecycle. For these movements, Create completed the required Special Order Vehicle (SOV) audits and prepared the SOV Construction Traffic Management Plan (CTMP), enabling the safe and coordinated delivery of the abnormal load movements.
Our scope has also included route scoping from multiple port locations, SOV tracking analysis, identification of temporary street furniture removals, and close coordination with the client, contractor, specialist haulier and police authorities. This collaborative approach has been essential in managing risk, minimising disruption and ensuring the safe passage of these exceptional loads through Norfolk’s highway network.
“Abnormal loads such as this represent an exciting challenge for all parties involved, requiring exact planning and precise communication between local and national authorities. This is without doubt the single largest abnormal load movement we have been involved with, and to see everything go to plan stands as a testament to the months of preparation and collaboration behind this event. We now have a proven benchmark from which to deliver the remaining seven abnormal loads.”
Paul Zanna, Technical Director (Transport & Highways)
The successful completion of the first movement marks an important milestone in a programme of complex logistics operations that will continue throughout the year, supporting the delivery of one of the world’s largest offshore wind developments and reinforcing Create’s expertise in abnormal load planning, and delivery for nationally significant infrastructure projects.
