Dutch marine contractor Van Oord has been awarded a significant contract by RWE for the transport and installation of monopile foundations for the Nordseecluster offshore wind project in Germany.

This 1.6-gigawatt (GW) wind farm cluster is expected to generate enough clean energy to power roughly 1.6 million German households annually.

Boreas secures work

The Nordseecluster project marks a major milestone for Van Oord, as it represents the maiden voyage for their brand-new offshore installation vessel, Boreas, currently under construction. Van Oord’s scope of work encompasses the installation of 104 extended monopile foundations along with scour protection measures. The project will be completed in two phases, with 44 monopiles scheduled for installation in 2025 and the remaining 60 in 2027.

Boreas is poised to become the largest offshore installation vessel of its kind, specifically designed for the next generation of massive wind farm foundations and turbines. This state-of-the-art jack-up vessel boasts a crane capacity exceeding 3,000 tonnes, enabling the installation of 20-megawatt wind turbines directly at sea.

Sustainability focus: Green Methanol and emission reduction

A key feature of Boreas is its ability to operate entirely on green methanol, a highly promising future fuel derived solely from renewable energy sources. This innovative approach has the potential to reduce the vessel’s carbon footprint by over 78 per cent. This aligns perfectly with Van Oord’s commitment to emission reduction and their goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.