Van Oord’s latest offshore installation vessel, the Boreas, has arrived in the Netherlands. After a nearly 14,700-nautical-mile journey from China, this state-of-the-art vessel is now docked at TMA Logistics in the Port of Amsterdam, ready for its final outfitting and commissioning phase.
The Boreas, named after the Greek god of the north wind, measures 175 meters in length and boasts a 155-meter-high boom capable of lifting over 3,000 tonnes. Its four massive legs, each 126 meters long, enable it to operate in waters up to 70 meters deep, making it ideal for installing next-generation offshore wind turbines of up to 20 megawatts.
One of the vessel’s standout features is its ability to run on methanol, a cleaner fuel option that reduces its environmental footprint by more than 78%. Additionally, it’s equipped with advanced emissions control technology and a 6,000-kilowatt-hour battery pack to manage peak loads and regenerate energy, further minimizing fuel consumption and emissions.
The Boreas was officially handed over to Van Oord during a ceremony at the Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore shipyard in China earlier this year. Zhao Hui, Vice President of CIMC Raffles Group, remarked that the Boreas “is a benchmark for the whole offshore wind industry for many years to come.”
Now in the Netherlands, the vessel will undergo final outfitting, including the installation of equipment for storing and handling wind turbine foundations. A christening ceremony is scheduled for June in Rotterdam. The Boreas is expected to be commercially available in the third quarter of 2025, with its inaugural project involving the transportation and installation of monopile foundations for the 1.6 GW Nordseecluster wind project in Germany, a joint venture between RWE and Northland Power.
This addition to Van Oord’s fleet underscores the company’s commitment to advancing renewable energy infrastructure and supporting the global transition to sustainable energy sources.
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