Offshore installation vessel Boreas has been christened in the city centre of Rotterdam
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On Wednesday 18 June, maritime contractor Van Oord's new offshore wind installation vessel 'Boreas' was christened by mayor Carola Schouten. The Boreas, named after the Greek god of the north wind, was built specifically to transport and install next-generation foundations and wind turbines for offshore wind farms.
Van Oord’s newest asset is 175 metres long and has a crane with a 155 metre high boom, capable of lifting over 3,000 tonnes. With its four massive jack-up legs, each 126 metres in length, the vessel can be used in water depths of up to 70 metres.
The Boreas is the largest of its kind and also the first vessel in this category of Van Oord’s fleet that can run on methanol, which reduces the vessel’s carbon footprint by more than 78 percent. The vessel is equipped with advanced active emission control technology to limit the NOx emissions to an absolute minimum. A battery of around 6,000 kWh can handle peak loads and regenerate energy to further reduce fuel consumption and subsequent emissions. The shore power connection allows the vessel to continue to use electric power while it is moored at a port.
The christening took place at the Cruise Terminal, in the heart of Rotterdam. The crew of the vessel received the traditional shield of the port of Rotterdam from Ruud Hoogesteger, operational manager at the Harbour Master's Division.
Soon after the christening, the Boreas sets out for the German North Sea to build a large wind farm, Nordseecluster. In the future, this wind farm is expected to provide enough renewable energy to power the equivalent of 1,600,000 households.