Van Oord christens Boreas, the largest and most sustainable offshore wind installation vessel in the world

The Boreas was christened by Ms. Carola Schouten, the mayor of Rotterdam. Guests and Van Oord employees gathered to celebrate this memorable moment. Once it is operational, the Boreas will be the largest and most sustainable offshore wind installation vessel in the world.

Future-proof accelerator for the energy transition

The Boreas, named after the Greek god of the Northern winds, is purpose-built for the transport and installation of next-generation foundations and turbines for offshore wind farms. The vessel measures 175 metres in length and its crane has a 155-metre-high boom, able to lift over 3,000 tonnes. With this new vessel, Van Oord is ready for future increases in scale in the offshore wind industry. It can install offshore
wind turbines of more than 20 MW, with a height comparable to the Eiffel Tower.

Govert van Oord, CEO Van Oord: ‘The Boreas is the largest investment in our company's history, a testament to our ambition to remain a frontrunner in offshore wind, accelerate the energy transition and perform our work responsibly. We lead our industry in adopting more sustainable green marine fuels; now, with the Boreas being able to operate on methanol, we have added a new chapter to our net-zero emissions journey.’

Sustainable frontrunner 

The Boreas is a sustainable frontrunner in the industry, being the first vessel of its kind equipped with dual fuel-methanol engines. Operating on methanol reduces its carbon footprint by over 78%. Additionally, the vessel features Selective Catalytic Reduction to minimise nitrogen oxide emissions, and a battery pack of more than 6,000 kilowatt-hours, which helps further reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

First project for the Boreas

After the christening ceremony the Boreas will head to its first offshore wind project, the Nordseecluster in the German North Sea, a joint venture between RWE (51%) and Norges Bank Management Investment (49%). Van Oord’s scope includes the installation of 104 extended monopiles as well as scour protection. The 1.6 gigawatt wind-farm cluster is expected to generate enough renewable energy to supply the equivalent of 1,600,000 German households.

Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)

During the christening of the Boreas in Rotterdam, Van Oord announced that 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 degrees Celsius pathway of the Paris Agreement. SBTi’s approval underscores Van Oord's aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in line with the latest climate science.

Van Oord submitted its greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets in May 2023, had an intensive dialogue on sector classification, 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.

Govert van Oord, CEO Van Oord: ‘This approval reflects both our commitment to decarbonise our operations and our desire to increase system-wide collaboration. We invest heavily in state-of-the-art decarbonisation solutions, for example in our fleet. Still, we recognise that we cannot do this alone, reaching net-zero requires close cooperation across our entire value chain. We invite our clients and partners to
join us on this path by integrating climate ambition into their own business decisions. Together, we can drive real change.’

About Royal Van Oord

Royal Van Oord is a Dutch family-owned company with more than 155 years of experience as an international marine contractor. Its focus is on energy transition, climate adaptation and marine biodiversity, aiming to contribute to a better world for future generations. Van Oord employs more than 6,000 FTEs with 90 different nationalities, who work on around 200 projects across 40 countries on an annual basis. Our fleet of main equipment consists of approximately 60 vessels as well as a substantial inventory of special-purpose and auxiliary equipment.