Van Oord News

Boskalis’ recently commissioned Windpiper subsea rock installation vessel has started its maiden project at the Bałtyk 2 and Bałtyk 3 offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea, placing its first rocks to protect the projects’ export cables.The 227-meter-long vessel loaded nearly 45,000 tons of rock in Norway following its christening in July before sailing for the installation campaign.Boskalis said the load represents a record cargo, with no single subsea rock installation vessel…

Boskalis and Van Oord have been awarded a dredging contract worth approximately $570 million (€500 million) for the expansion of the Port of Luleå in Sweden.The contract was awarded by the Swedish Maritime Administration and the Port of Luleå and will be executed by a joint venture between the two companies, with the contract value split equally.Under the contract, the joint venture will deepen the port's fairway and harbor basin to accommodate vessels with a draft of up to 14.7 meters and a cargo capacity of up to 85…

Norway-based TMC Compressors has secured a contract from Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore to supply marine compressed air systems for two subsea rock installation vessels being built for Dutch marine contractor Van Oord.Under the contract, TMC will provide a complete marine compressed air system for each vessel, including instrument air compressors and air dryers. Financial details of the contract were not disclosed.The vessels are being built to support subsea rock installation operations…

Van Oord has installed three monopile foundations using GBM Works' jetting solution in combination with CAPE’s vibro lifting tool for the first time at commercial scale, a milestone in silent offshore installation.Designed to reduce underwater noise and minimise impact on marine life, the method was deployed at Ecowende's Hollandse Kust West wind farm using Van Oord's new offshore wind installation vessel Boreas.GBM Works' VibroJet® technology combines vibrations with controlled water jets inside the monopile to fluidise the soil and reduce resistance.

Martens en Van Oord, a contractor in roadworks, civil and hydraulic engineering, is taking a step toward further sustainability and modernization of its fleet by investing in the latest generation of the V4000 autonomous unmanned survey vessel (USV) from Demcon unmanned systems, a specialist in high-tech autonomous vessels for hydrographic and maritime applications. The selected 4‑meter variant provides increased range and longer endurance thanks to the additional hull length…

Van Oord has completed the transport and installation of all 21 monopiles at Iberdrola’s Windanker offshore wind farm.This achievement involved the largest monopiles Van Oord has ever installed, made possible by earlier upgrades to its heavy lift installation vessel Svanen, which is now equipped to manage next-generation offshore wind monopile foundations.Van Oord’s scope of work included loading the monopiles at the fabrication site in Spain and transporting them to the Port of Rønne, Denmark.

Dutch offshore installation firm Van Oord has been awarded the prestigious Jan Agema Award 2025 for its contribution to the offshore wind project Borssele III, IV and V.The jury praised the project for its technical innovation, societal relevance, and future-proof design, highlighting it as a powerful response to the urgent energy transition in the North Sea.The Jan Agema Award, established by the Dutch Association of Hydraulic Engineers in honor of Jan Agema, encourages innovation…

Offshore construction has started at the Hollandse Kust West wind farm, where Van Oord and developer Ecowende are installing eco-friendly scour protection designed to improve marine biodiversity.Van Oord’s subsea rock installation vessels Nordnes and Bravenes have been mobilised to lay scour protection around monopile foundations, marking the official start of offshore operations at a wind farm which aims to become the most ecological of its kind.Scour protection typically stabilizes the seabed around turbine foundations against erosion caused by currents and waves.

Van Oord has been awarded the IADC Safety Award 2025 during the Annual General Meeting of the International Association of Dredging Companies (IADC) in Stockholm, Sweden.The award recognises Van Oord’s newly designed gasket that significantly reduces the risk of injury during pipe assembly.When connecting the flanges of steel reclamation pipes, a paper gasket is placed in between to seal the gap. When using traditional gaskets, workers have to hold the gaskets in place during the sealing process, creating a potential risk of finger injuries.

AD Ports Group announced the signing of a major dredging agreement between its Karachi Gateway Terminal and Van Oord, a Netherlands-based leader in dredging and marine contracting, to expand the flow of trade through the Group’s port terminals in Pakistan.Led by the Group’s international ports operating arm, Noatum Ports, the project will deepen berths and navigational channels at Karachi Gateway Terminal (KGTL), a container terminal, enabling the accommodation of vessels from 305 meters to 350 meters in length and 13 meters to 15.5 meters in draft.

Van Oord has secured a contract for the land reclamation of Naïa Island Dubai, a new development located just off Jumeirah’s coastline. The project marks another milestone in Van Oord’s long-standing presence in the region, following its role in the development of projects such as Dubai Harbor, the World Islands and Palm Jumeirah.Naïa Island Dubai, a landmark project by Shamal Holding, will span approximately 13 hectares and feature 6 kilometers of pristine beaches. Designed to reflect the natural beauty of an untouched island…

This week, Van Oord’s trailing suction hopper dredger Vox Ariane completed its first bunkering of bio-LNG.The move follows the July news that NYK has started the continuous use of bio-LNG fuel on its LNG-powered car carriers.There’s been more firsts this year. In February 2025, Furetank conducted its first bio-LNG bunkering. In March, Titan and Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) completed the first bio-LNG bunkering operation of a multi-year contract. In April, the Avenir Ascension began operating on 100% bio-LNG…

Van Oord’s trailing suction hopper dredger Vox Ariane has completed its first bunkering of Bio-LNG on the Elbe in Germany.As the first marine contractor to have its climate targets approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), Van Oord is actively investing in decarbonization solutions. Transitioning to alternative fuels such as Bio-LNG is a key part of the strategy.Bio-LNG is produced from sustainable biobased feedstocks, including municipal organic waste and agricultural residues.

Dutch offshore installation firm Van Oord has ordered two next-generation subsea rock installation vessels, which will built by Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore in China.Capable of operating on methanol and with a focus on innovation and automation, the vessels will strengthen Van Oord’s position in subsea rock installation and offshore energy infrastructure protection.The first vessel is expected to enter the market in 2028, with a second vessel expected to follow within one year.The new vessels will be equipped with a loading capacity of 35…

Van Oord has completed the installation of all monopile foundations at RWE’s Sofia offshore wind farm, marking a major milestone in the construction of one of world’s largest wind farms.To execute the works, Van Oord deployed offshore wind installation vessel Aeolus, renowned for its capabilities in complex offshore wind operations.The 1.4 GW Sofia offshore wind farm, located on Dogger Bank in the central North Sea, will generate enough renewable energy to power approximately 1.2 million average U.K.

Van Oord's new offshore wind installation vessel Boreas was officially christened on June 18 in Rotterdam. The event marked a milestone in Van Oord’s commitment to enhancing the energy transition. In addition, Van Oord announced that it had become the first marine contractor to receive approval on science-based targets for its decarbonization approach. The Boreas was christened by Ms. Carola Schouten, the mayor of Rotterdam. Guests and Van Oord employees gathered to celebrate this moment.

Dutch offshore installation firm Van Oord has started scour protection works at RWE Nordseecluster offshore wind farm, kicking off the offshore construction for the first phase of the 1.6GW project.The scour protection provides full protection for the monopiles that will be installed later this year.The works are being executed by Van Oord’s flexible fallpipe vessel Stornes, which is equipped with a dynamic positioning system, a flexible fallpipe, and in-house developed ROV technology.“This allows us to install the scour protection with high precision and efficiency…

Van Oord’s offshore installation vessel Boreas has arrived in the Netherlands after a voyage from China of almost 14,700 nautical miles for final outfitting and christening before embarking on its first offshore wind project.The Boreas is currently docked at TMA Logistics in the Port of Amsterdam, where the vessel will undergo its final completion and commissioning phase.Its decks will simultaneously be outfitted with wind turbine foundation equipment and installation tools in preparation for its first assignment. The christening will take place in Rotterdam in June.

A series of advanced selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems has been installed on Van Oord’s cable-laying vessel (CLV) Nexus by Damen Shipyards Group in an effort to further reduce emissions.Five SCR units have been installed on the Nexus, one for each engine.SCR is an advanced emissions control technology. It contains a catalytic converter behind the engine which reduces nitrogen (NOx) emissions to an absolute minimum.It works by a catalyst which reacts with injected urea, chemically removing NOx from the vessel’s exhaust emissions.

Van Oord’s heavy lift installation vessel Svanen has installed the first monopile at the Baltic Power offshore wind farm, north of the Polish coast.Developers ORLEN and Northland Power contracted Van Oord for the transport and installation of 78 foundations, consisting of a monopile fitted with a transition piece.With a production capacity of up to 1.2 GW, the Baltic Power offshore wind farm is expected to ultimately supply renewable energy to more than 1.5 million households in Poland.

In an article by Rhonda Moniz published this week on MarineLink, Siemens sales executive Ed Schwarz noted the flexibility provided by an electric distribution “backbone” that enables ferry operators to add more batteries, switch to new fuels or become 100% emission free with fuel cells.A string of deliveries reported this week demonstrate that steps are being taken along this pathway for a range of vessels:The hull of Lithuania’s first green hydrogen and electricity-powered ship was launched by the Klaipėda State Seaport Authority.

Van Oord, in cooperation with ZEDHub, Smart Delta Drechtsteden, the Municipality of Dordrecht and Port of Rotterdam, has demonstrated the operation of the fully electric crane vessel Christiaan P, a first for the dredging industry.Christiaan P. is a crane vessel owned by Paans Van Oord which was retrofitted to remove its engines and replace them with electric motors. The crane was also replaced by an electric one. The vessel is used for various kinds of marine engineering work…

DEME and Van Oord have secured separate contracts from Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) for installation works at the 500 MW Fengmiao 1 offshore wind farm in Taiwan.DEME, through its Taiwanese joint venture CDWE, has been awarded a substantial contract for the transport and installation of foundations and the offshore substation for the Fengmiao 1 offshore wind farm in Taiwan.For DEME, substantial contract means it is valued between $155 million and $310 million.CDWE is responsible for the transport and installation of 33 jacket foundations…