Photo credit: Boskalis

Dutch marine services firm Boskalis has christened the Windpiper, which it describes as the world’s largest subsea rock installation vessel. The 227-metre vessel was named on 3 July following an 18-month conversion, and the company says it will double its rock installation capacity.

What the vessel does

Subsea rock installation involves placing rock on the seabed to protect offshore structures, including the foundations of offshore wind turbines, cables and pipelines, from scour and movement. The Windpiper carries 45,500 tonnes of rock across two holds and is fitted with a moonpool for fall pipe installation, along with an inclined fall pipe for protecting offshore structures.

The vessel’s large capacity is designed for projects where the distance between rock loading facilities and installation sites is long. Boskalis pointed to work along the North American east coast, the Baltic Sea and the southern North Sea. By reducing the number of round trips required, the company expects the vessel to lower both emissions and costs for each volume of rock installed.

Built for the energy transition

The Windpiper has more than 31,000 kW of installed power, seven thrusters and dynamic positioning certification, along with accommodation of more than 100 single cabins. Boskalis says the vessel will support offshore wind and other marine infrastructure for the energy transition, with its first work planned in north-west Europe. The christening was performed by supervisory board member Ms Jones-Bos, following a conversion carried out under the company’s own supervision.

The addition reflects the scale of demand created by the offshore wind buildout, where each turbine foundation and export cable requires seabed protection.