Van Oord has ordered a new offshore installation vessel that will be designed to handle 20MW offshore turbines and foundations.
The 175-metre jack-up vessel designed by Knud E Hansen will be built by the Yantai CIMC Raffles Shipyard in China.
It is expected to enter the market in 2024.
The will be purpose-built for the transport and installation of foundations and turbines.
Dutch company Huisman will supply the main crane that will be able to lift more than 3000 tonnes.
The vessel will also have an advanced jacking system. Four legs, each measuring 126 metres, will allow the vessel to be jacked up and work in waters up to 70 metres deep.
This investment is part of a €1 billion fleet investment programme over the next 5 years. Van Oord has also taken an option on a second vessel.
The new installation vessel will meanwhile be able to run on the future fuel methanol. Running on methanol, reduces the ship’s CO2 footprint by more than 78%.
Van Oord said the rationale for the investment is based on high demand, with the European Union aiming to install 300GW of offshore wind capacity by 2050.
“Thanks to our experiences with the installation vessels Aeolus, MPI Resolution and MPI Adventure, we have a good grasp of working with jack-up installation vessels. Now we are going one step further – the new ship will be the largest of its kind. Compared to the Aeolus, this new version has 88% more deck space and over 80% more lifting capacity,” said Arnoud Kuis, managing director offshore wind at Van Oord.
“To become carbon neutral by 2050, we look for new fuel technologies. We see methanol as one of the alternatives to meet the industry’s goals to reduce its environmental impact. Similar steps have already been made in our investment programme with the construction of three LNG-fuelled trailing suction hopper dredgers and the ordering of a new green cable-laying vessel,” added Jaap de Jong, director of ship management.