Van Oord’s brand-new offshore wind installation vessel Boreas was officially christened on June 18 in Rotterdam.
The Boreas was christened by Ms. Carola Schouten, the mayor of Rotterdam. Guests and Van Oord employees gathered to celebrate this moment.
The vessel, named after the Greek god of the Northern winds, is purpose-built for the transport and installation of next-generation foundations and turbines for offshore wind farms.
Equipped with dual fuel-methanol engines, the new offshore wind installation vessel measures 175 metres in length whilst its crane has a 155-metre-high boom, able to lift over 3,000 tonnes.
After the christening ceremony the Boreas will head to its first offshore wind project, the Nordseecluster in the German North Sea, a joint venture between RWE (51%) and Norges Bank Management Investment (49%).
Govert van Oord, the chief executive officer of Van Oord, said: “The Boreas is the largest investment in our company’s history, a testament to our ambition to remain a frontrunner in offshore wind, accelerate the energy transition and perform our work responsibly. We lead our industry in adopting more sustainable green marine fuels; now, with the Boreas being able to operate on methanol, we have added a new chapter to our net-zero emissions journey.”
