The new offshore installation vessel “Boreas” – the largest of its kind – has been christened in Rotterdam. Following its installation in India, the newbuild will begin work for the German energy company RWE.
The “Boreas” was christened by Carola Schouten, the Mayor of Rotterdam. Named after the Greek god of the north wind, the ship was built specifically for the transportation and installation of next-generation foundations and turbines for offshore wind farms.
It is 175 m long, and its crane has a 155 m high boom that can lift over 3,000 tons. With this new vessel, Van Oord believes it is prepared for the future scale of the offshore wind industry. It can install offshore wind turbines with an output of more than 20 MW and a height comparable to that of the Eiffel Tower.
“Boreas” will be deployed in the German North Sea
CEO Govert van Oord said at the naming ceremony: “The Boreas is the largest investment in the history of our company and is proof of our ambition to remain a pioneer in offshore wind power, accelerate the energy transition and carry out our work responsibly.” With the “Boreas”, which can run on methanol, a new chapter has been opened on the path to net zero emissions.
The newbuild is not only the largest of its kind in the world, but also the first ship of its type to be equipped with dual-fuel methanol engines, according to the shipping company. In addition, the ship features a selective catalytic reduction system to minimize nitrogen oxide emissions and a battery pack with more than 6,000 kilowatt hours.
After the christening, the “Boreas” will sail to its first offshore wind project, the North Sea Cluster in the German North Sea, a joint venture between RWE (51%) and Norges Bank Investment Management (49%). Van Oord’s contract includes the installation of 104 extended monopiles and scour protection.
