Van Oord Selects CAPE Holland to Provide Advanced Vibro Lifting Technology for Ecowende’s Hollandse Kust West Offshore Wind Project
CAPE Holland has secured a significant contract from Van Oord, a leading global installation contractor, to supply their innovative CAPE VLT-640 Quad for the Hollandse Kust West offshore wind project, spearheaded by Ecowende. This project marks a major step in advancing ecological goals within the offshore wind industry.
The CAPE Vibro Lifting Technology (VLT) will play a crucial role in reducing environmental impact during the installation phase by significantly lowering piling noise compared to traditional hammer installations. This technology will be used to drive monopiles, which can measure up to 9.3 meters in diameter and weigh nearly 1,500 tons, to their final positions. Van Oord’s new installation vessel, Boreas, equipped with a 3,000-ton crane, will facilitate the installation process.
Dick van Wijngaarden, Business Development Manager at CAPE Holland, expressed his excitement about this development: “I am delighted that after a long period of promoting the Vibro Lifting Technology to the industry, we have been selected for this first large-scale implementation at a Dutch offshore wind farm. The Vibro Lifting Tool will help reduce the environmental impact during the installation phase.”
Jan Willem Elleswijk, Project Director at Van Oord, echoed this enthusiasm, stating: “We are pleased to announce this agreement with CAPE Holland and are excited to apply this innovative technique on such a large scale. We look forward to working together on the Hollandse Kust West offshore wind farm.”
CAPE Holland, part of the Venterra Group—a global offshore wind services company—continues to support the industry’s rapid expansion and the energy transition. David Matthews, Chief Commercial Officer at Venterra Group, remarked: “We’re proud to have CAPE Holland’s market-leading Vibro Lifting Technology included in Venterra’s foundation offering. We look forward to supporting Van Oord in successfully installing the monopile foundations for this Ecowende project.”
Ecowende, a joint venture between Shell, Eneco, and Chubu, aims to create the most ecological wind farm to date. Located approximately 53 kilometers off the Dutch coast near IJmuiden, the wind farm will have an installed capacity of about 760 MW, providing green energy to approximately 3% of the current Dutch electricity demand. The wind farm is expected to be operational by 2026, contributing positively to biodiversity and the large-scale rollout of offshore wind energy in the Netherlands and beyond.
