Van Oord takes delivery of giant jack-up WTIV Boreas

Photo: Van Oord

Rotterdam-headquartered Van Oord has now accepted delivery of the mega wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) Boreas in a ceremony at the Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore Ltd. shipyard in China.

The Boreas, named after the Greek god of the Northern winds, is purpose-built for the transportation and installation of the next generation of foundations and turbines at offshore wind farms. Once operational, the vessel will be the world’s largest of its kind. It measures 175 meters in length and has a 155-meter high boom that can lift more than 3,000 tonnes. Four giant legs, each measuring 126 meters, allow the vessel to be jacked up and work in waters up to 70 meters deep. These capabilities will enable it to install offshore wind turbines of up to 20 MW at sea.

The vessel is also the first of its kind with the ability to operate on the future fuel methanol, reducing its carbon footprint by more than 78% .

“The delivery of the Boreas marks a major milestone for Van Oord,” said Harold Linssen, director of the ship management department at 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!”

The Boreas will now be prepared to sail to the Netherlands, where the final outfitting works will take place. This includes the installation of equipment for storing and handling the foundations of wind turbines. The vessel will also be christened there. The Boreas is expected to be commercially available in the third quarter of 2025.