On January 8, CIMC's CIMC Raffles held a delivery ceremony at the Yantai base for the BOREAS project, the world's largest and latest generation offshore wind power installation vessel built for Van Oord of the Netherlands. After the project is delivered, it will be deployed in European wind farms and will be used specifically to transport and install the next generation of offshore wind turbines and foundations.
The "Boreas", named after the Greek god of the north wind, is the world's largest offshore wind power installation vessel and has set a new standard for the industry. The ship is 175 meters long, with a boom height of 155 meters and a main crane lifting capacity of more than 3,000 tons. The ship's four 126-meter-long pile legs enable it to operate in waters as deep as 70 meters and install offshore wind turbines up to 20 megawatts.
"Boreas" is the first wind power installation vessel to use methanol fuel. It is equipped with a methanol fuel tank of about 3,000 cubic meters and 5 methanol dual-fuel main engines. It not only meets the emission requirements of clean and environmental protection, but also reduces the ship's carbon footprint by more than 78%. In addition, the vessel will be equipped with a selective catalytic reduction device to minimize nitrogen oxide emissions.
The first mission of the "Boreas" is to serve the Nordseecluster offshore wind power project in Germany. The project scope includes the installation of 104 extended monopiles, 44 of which are planned to be installed in 2025, and the remaining 60 will be installed in 2027.
Before starting commercial operations, the vessel will undergo final outfitting in the Netherlands, including the installation of special equipment for wind turbine foundation treatment, and is expected to be put into use in the third quarter of 2025.
