Van Oord acquires Bilfinger wind activities

Van Oord has reached agreement on the acquisition of the offshore wind activities of Bilfinger Marine and Offshore Systems, and announced upgrade plans to its installation vessel.

German company, Bilfinger is involved in the construction and installation of foundations for offshore wind parks and harbour construction.

The agreement covers the acquisition of assets and employees related to the offshore wind activities. The acquisition will be finalised after it has been approved by the Bundeskartellamt, the German competition authority.

In addition to this acquisition, Van Oord will also be investing 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.  

The upgrade will enable Van Oord to continue to install the increasingly larger foundations and heavier turbines at wind farms. The modification of the ‘Aeolus’ will be completed in early 2018.