A brand-new offshore installation vessel Boreas has been handed over to Van Oord during a festive ceremony at the Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore shipyard in China.
The Boreas, named after the Greek god of the Northern winds, is purpose-built for the transport and installation of the next generation of foundations and turbines at offshore wind farms.
The vessel will be the largest of its kind once operational, according to Van Oord.
It measures 175 meters in length and has a 155-metre-high boom, which can lift more than 3,000 tonnes.
Four giant legs, each measuring 126 meters, allow the vessel to be jacked up and work in waters up to 70 meters deep.
The vessel will be able to install up to 20 MW offshore wind turbines at sea, and is the first of its kind with the ability to operate on the future fuel methanol, reducing the ship’s footprint by more than 78%.
The Boreas will now be prepared to sail to the Netherlands, where the final outfitting works will take place.
This includes the installation of equipment for storing and handling the foundations of wind turbines.
The vessel will also be christened there, and is expected to be commercially available in the third quarter of 2025.
“The delivery of the Boreas marks a major milestone for Van Oord. I am pleased to celebrate this together with all those who contributed to the construction of the vessel in China. We are looking forward to welcoming this beautiful vessel to our fleet,” said Harold Linssen, Director Ship Management Department at Van Oord.