Van Oord invests in offshore installation vessel

Dutch offshore contractor Van Oord has ordered a large offshore wind farm installation vessel to further strengthen its market position in offshore wind. The jack-up vessel will be built at Chinese yard Yantai CIMC Raffles. The newbuilding can operate on methanol and install the next generation of 20 MW wind turbines at sea with a very low carbon dioxide footprint. The ship is expected to enter the market in 2024.

“This investment prepares us for the increase in scale in the offshore wind industry and allows us to maintain our leadership position,” said chief executive officer Pieter van Oord.

The new 175m-long vessel will be purpose-built for the transport and installation of foundations and turbines at offshore wind farms. With a crane supplied by Dutch company Huisman, it can lift more than 3,000 tonnes. The vessel has an advanced jacking system. Four large legs, each measuring 126m, allow the vessel to be jacked up and work in waters up to 70m deep.

The new installation vessel will be able to run on the future fuel methanol. Running on methanol, reduces the ship's CO₂ footprint by more than 78%, says Van Oord. In addition, the vessel will be equipped with an advanced active emissions control technology (Selective Catalytic Reduction) to reduce the NOx emission to an absolute minimum. An installed 5,000-kWh battery pack can take the peak loads and regenerate energy to reduce the fuel consumption (and corresponding emissions) even further.

This investment is part of a EUR 1 billion fleet investment programme over the next five years. In December 2020, Van Oord had already ordered a new green cable-laying vessel at Vard in Norway.