Van Oord holds naming ceremony for Boreas, world’s largest wind turbine installation vessel

The company claims once it is operational, Boreas “will be the largest and most sustainable offshore wind installation vessel in the world.” The vessel’s role is to transport and install next-generation foundations and turbines for offshore windfarms.

The new vessel is 175 m in length. Its crane has a 155-m-high boom, and can lift loads of in excess of 3,000 tonnes. This will enable the vessel to install offshore wind turbines of more than 20 MW.

Van Oord chief executive Govert van Oord said, “Boreas is the largest investment in our company’s history, and testament to our ambition to remain a frontrunner in offshore wind. 

“We are leading our industry in adopting more sustainable green fuels. Now, with Boreas able to operate on methanol, we have added a new chapter to our net-zero emissions journey.”

Boreas is the first vessel of its kind equipped with dual fuel-methanol engines. Operating on methanol will reduce its carbon footprint by more than 78%. 

The vessel also has selective catalytic reduction to minimise nitrogen oxide emissions, and a 6,000 kWh battery pack which will help further reduce fuel consumption and emissions. 

Now the naming ceremony has taken place, Boreas will head to its first offshore wind project, Nordseecluster in the German North Sea, which is being developed by a joint venture between RWE and Norges Bank Management Investment. 

Van Oord’s scope on Nordseecluster includes installing 104 extended monopiles as well as scour protection. 

Van Oord has also announced its climate goals have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), making it the first marine contractor to align with the 1.5°C pathway of the Paris Agreement. 

Van Oord said SBTi approval “underscores our aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in line with the latest climate science.”

The company submitted its greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets in May 2023 and used SBTi’s Maritime Guidance for its fleet-related targets. On 1 June 2025, SBTi formally communicated its approval of all Van Oord’s targets.