Van Oord has officially received its new offshore installation vessel, Boreas, at a ceremony held at the Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore shipyard in China. The handover marks a significant achievement after an intensive construction period, with colleagues, partners, and suppliers gathering to celebrate the milestone.
Named after the Greek god of the Northern winds, Boreas is designed for the transport and installation of next-generation foundations and turbines at offshore wind farms. Once operational, it will be the largest vessel of its kind, according to Van Oord.
Measuring 175 meters in length, Boreas features a 155-meter-high boom capable of lifting over 3,000 tonnes. Its four legs, each 126 meters long, allow the vessel to jack up and operate in waters up to 70 meters deep. Boreas will also have the capacity to install up to 20MW offshore wind turbines.
The vessel is notable for being the first of its kind to be capable of running on methanol, a future fuel, which is expected to reduce its carbon footprint by more than 78%, according to Van Oord.
Harold Linssen, Director of the Ship Management Department at Van Oord, stated: “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.
Zhao Hui, Vice President of CIMC Raffles Group, expressed pride in the collaboration, saying: “We're happy to work together with Van Oord and deliver the state-of-the-art vessel Boreas. Undoubtedly Boreas is a benchmark for the whole offshore wind industry for many years to come.
Following the handover, Boreas will sail to the Netherlands for final outfitting, which includes the installation of equipment to handle and store offshore wind turbine foundations. The vessel is expected to be commercially available in the third quarter of 2025.
