Boskalis’ converted crane vessel Bokalift 2 has set course for the United States where it will take part in the company’s 100th offshore wind farm project. The vessel departed the Port of Rotterdam and is on its journey across the Atlantic. 

Bokalift 2 is a former drillship that has undergone complex modifications led by a team of Boskalis specialists in Singapore and China. Converting the former drillship YAN into a crane vessel was the job completed by Drydocks World. The vessel then headed to Xiamen, China where its got its 4,000-ton Huisman crane installed. Further load tests were completed in Singapore. From there Bokalift 2 immediately started with the transportation and installation of jackets for the future Changfang & Xidao windfarm in Taiwan.

“The Bokalift 2 is Boskalis’ largest crane vessel. The DP2 vessel has an accommodation for 146 persons, boasts 7,500 square meters of free deck space and a 4,000 ton revolving crane capable of lifting structures more than 100 meters high,” says captain Gerben Swan, who is impressed by the performance of the Bokalift 2 on her maiden project in Taiwan. “Actually, it is above our expectations,” he says. “This vessel is so incredibly powerful, precise and stable; I’m impressed.”

The US job

The first task for Bokalift off the coast of the United States will be to install a monopile with secondary steel and place a substation that is made in the U.S. Soon some of Boskalis heavy transport vessels will follow to deliver the monopiles that serve as the foundations for the turbines.

It is worth reminding that at the start of 2023, Boskalis secured the contract to construct a large offshore windfarm off the United States coastline. The Boskalis project scope includes the transportation and installation of the wind turbine foundations and power cables for which two crane vessels, several transport and cable-laying vessels will be deployed. The contract marks a special milestone for Boskalis as this is the 100th offshore wind farm project that Boskalis has worked on over the past decade.