Van Oord has unveiled that its installation vessel Aeolus will get a major crane upgrade to handle 15 MW turbines for offshore wind projects.
Due to the rapidly changing market and, in particular, to the increase in turbine sizes, Van Oord decided to upgrade the Aeolus to ensure that the vessel remains competitive.
The new 133-metre long boom is designed and built by Huisman. The vessel will be available for deployment in early 2023, Van Oord said.
The Aeolus will then be capable of installing the new generation 12-15 MW wind turbines while maintaining its lifting capacity of 1,600 tonnes for foundation installations.
In March, Van Oord won a contract to transport and install wind turbines at an undisclosed wind farm offshore the East Coast of the USA for which the company said will deploy the installation vessel Aeolus .
The vessels’ modification plan is in line with Van Oord’s strategy which is aimed to continuously invest in sustainable technology, the company said.
To keep delivering innovative solutions to the rapidly growing offshore wind industry, Van Oord also invested in a new installation vessel, called Boreas , and a cable-laying vessel, named Calypso .
The 175-metre long Boreas , currently being built in China, will be able to operate on methanol and install wind turbines with a capacity of up to 25 MW.
In July, the steel cutting ceremony was performed and construction is running on schedule, Van Oord said.
When it comes to Calypso , the new DP2 vessel will be equipped with a below-deck cable carousel and a second carousel on deck, with a total cable-carrying capacity of 8,000 tonnes.
Apart from the possibility to run on biofuel, this 130-metre hybrid vessel will have future fuel-ready engines with built-in flexibility to anticipate e-fuels.
Boreas is expected to enter the market in 2024, while Calypso will be operational next year.