Van Oord has agreed a deal to acquire the offshore wind business of German engineering group Bilfinger.
The Dutch company said the agreement covers assets and employees related to Bilfinger’s offshore wind activities.
The deal will not be finalised until it has been approved by the German competition authority – Bundeskartellamt – Van Oord said.
“Acquiring Bilfinger’s offshore wind activities will enable us to focus more on the German market,” it added.
Bilfinger had announced in February 2015 that it was putting its offshore wind foundations and installation business up for sale.
Van Oord is also replacing the crane on installation vessel Aeolus (pictured) to increase lifting capacity to 1600 tonnes from the current 900 tonnes.
The modifications will also extend the vessel’s transport capacity, which will enable Van Oord to “continue to install the increasingly larger foundations and heavier turbines at wind farms”.
The company said the crane has been ordered from Dutch heavy installation equipment specialist Huisman.
The Aeolus upgrade will be completed in early 2018.
“Both investments are part of our strategy to bolster our position on the northwestern European market for offshore wind projects,” Van Oord said.
Image: Van Oord
