Van Oord also has plans to invest in a significant modification of its installation vessel, Aeolus. The current crane, which has a lifting capacity of 900 tonnes, will be replaced by a crane with a lifting capacity of 1,600 tonnes.
Van Oord has reached agreement on the acquisition of the offshore wind activities of Bilfinger Marine & Offshore Systems GmbH, a German company active in the engineering, construction, and installation of foundations for offshore wind farms.
This agreement covers the acquisition of assets and employees related to the offshore wind activities, and will give a strategic boost to Van Oord’s Offshore Wind Projects business unit.
The acquisition will be finalized after it has been approved by the Bundeskartellamt, the German competition authority.
Van Oord also has plans to invest in a significant modification of its installation vessel, Aeolus. The current crane, which has a lifting capacity of 900 tonnes, will be replaced by a crane with a lifting capacity of 1,600 tonnes. At the same time, the transport capacity will be extended.
This will enable Van Oord to continue to install the increasingly larger foundations and heavier turbines at wind farms. The crane has been ordered from Huisman, a heavy installation equipment specialist based in Schiedam/Rotterdam. The modification of the Aeolus will be completed in early 2018.
Currently, Van Oord is completing the construction of the Dutch Gemini offshore wind farm. The company also recently completed installation of the British Burbo Bank Extension offshore wind farm foundations for Dong Energy.
In 2017, Van Oord will start the installation of the foundations of the Arkona offshore wind farm project for E.ON in Germany, and is again contracted by Dong Energy on the installation of the foundations for the Walney wind farm project in the United Kingdom.
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