Van Oord has launched its new dual-fuel methanol powered offshore installation vessel ‘Boreas’, which is purpose-built for transport and installation of offshore windfarm components.
The vessel has been built by Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore Ltd. shipyard in China. Upon completion, the Boreas will be the largest vessel of its kind.
”The launch of the Boreas is a major milestone for Van Oord. A big thanks to the project teams and all subcontractors and suppliers who worked with great commitment and dedication towards this crucial stage of the construction process,” said Johan de Graaf, project manager shipbuilding at Van Oord.
”With the Boreas now afloat, we’re entering the final stages of the newbuilding, and we are excited to continue our journey towards successful delivery.”
Challenging construction
Because of its size, Mr de Graaf said that the launch was a challenging job.
First, it had to be moved from the construction site to the quay, using the so-called ‘skidding method’. Skidding is a safe and efficient load-out method for the horizontal transport of heavy and oversized objects along a linear track.
The vessel was then skidded from the quay onto two pontoons. These pontoons were later submerged in a controlled operation after which the Boreas became afloat.
The works on the Boreas will continue with the installation of the main crane and the extension of the legs of the jack-up vessel. Meanwhile the vessel’s technical installation will be further commissioned, after which sea trails will take place to test performance.
Boreas is preparing Van Oord for the increase in scale in the offshore wind industry.
The vessel measures 175 metres in length and has a crane with a 155-metre-high boom, able to lift over 3,000 tonnes.
Four giant legs, each measuring 126 metres, allow the vessel to be jacked up and work in waters up to 70 metres deep. It will therefore be able to install the next generation of 20 MW offshore wind turbines at sea.
It’s the first of its kind to be able to run on methanol, expected to reduce the ship’s carbon footprint by more than 78%.
In addition, the vessel will be equipped with Selective Catalytic Reduction technology to reduce the NOx emission to an absolute minimum.
A battery pack of about 6,000 kWh can take peak loads and regenerate energy to reduce the fuel consumption and corresponding emissions even further.
