Dutch maritime contractor Boskalis officially held a naming ceremony for its new vessel, Windpiper, marking the completion of an 18-month conversion project. The vessel has been transformed into the world's largest subsea rock installation (SRI) vessel. The naming ceremony took place last Friday, with Ms. Jones-Bos, a member of Boskalis' Supervisory Board, serving as the vessel's godmother. Subsequently, Boskalis hosted a public open day, with over 3,000 employees and their families boarding the vessel for a tour.

The Windpiper measures 227 meters in length and 40 meters in width, equipped with two cargo holds capable of loading up to 45,500 metric tons of rock. Its deployment will double Boskalis' subsea rock installation capacity. The vessel is particularly suited for projects with long transit distances between loading facilities and offshore construction sites, improving operational efficiency by reducing round trips.

The vessel was created by Boskalis through the conversion of an existing newbuild, continuing its strategy of repurposing ships for specialized offshore operations. The Windpiper is a DP2-class vessel, featuring seven thrusters, a moonpool for fall-pipe rock placement, and an inclined fall-pipe for protecting structures such as offshore wind turbine foundations. The vessel also includes over 100 single cabins for crew and client representatives.

Boskalis stated that the Windpiper will primarily serve offshore wind and other subsea infrastructure projects, with its initial assignments planned for Northwest Europe. The vessel's high-capacity characteristics also make it suitable for operations in regions requiring longer transit distances, such as the U.S. East Coast, the Baltic Sea, and the North and South Seas, effectively reducing unit installation costs and emissions.