Van Oord has carried out a keel laying ceremony for its offshore installation vessel Boreas at the YCRO yard in Yantai, China.
Laying the keel is a symbolically important moment in the life of any vessel, Van Oord explained.
It’s a ritual that goes back centuries, and marks the moment the preparation of the construction ends, and the final phase of construction starts.
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It is also the moment a vessel is classified.
Van Oord expects to have the vessels operational in 2024.
Boreas is a key strategic investment for Van Oord.
The Boreas has the size (175 metres) and lifting power (over 3,000 tonnes) to transport and install 20MW wind turbines.
It can also operate on methanol, significantly lowering its carbon footprint.