Wärtsilä methanol engines ready to power Van Oord’s next-gen jack-up

The Wärtsilä 32 Methanol engines, which will power Van Oord’s offshore installation vessel Boreas, have passed the Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT) and are on their way to the Yantai CIMC Raffles Shipyard (YCRO) in China where the mega jack-up is currently being built.

Finnish technology group Wärtsilä received its first order for five methanol-fuelled engines in January 2022.

The 175-metre offshore installation vessel will also feature Wärtsilä’s dedicated fuel supply system for methanol, MethanolPac. Running on methanol should reduce the ship’s carbon footprint by more than 78 per cent, Van Oord said.

Designed by Knud E Hansen, Boreas will be capable of installing wind turbines with a capacity of up to 20 MW.

The jack-up will be purpose-built for the transport and installation of foundations and wind turbines. With a crane supplied by the Dutch company Huisman, the vessel will have a lifting capacity of over 3,000 tonnes.

The vessel will also feature an advanced jacking system. Four legs, each measuring 126 metres, will allow the ship to be jacked up and work in waters up to 70 metres deep.

The first steel was already cut for Boreas which is expected to enter the market in 2024 and will work under the Dutch flag.