Boskalis has announced the christening of its latest fleet addition after a conversion project: subsea rock installation vessel Windpiper. It will now enter service as the largest subsea rock installation vessel in the industry with a capacity of 45,500 metric tonnes.
The Windpiper was originally built as deepsea mining support vessel MAC Goliath. Construction of the vessel was hindered by financial defaults and contract disputes. In late 2024, the vessel was acquired by Boskalis and the company revealed plans to convert the vessel into a subsea rock installation (SRI) vessel.
The new vessel is to significantly bolster Boskalis’ position in the specialised subsea rock installation niche market. The company already had three existing SRI vessels. With the introduction of the Windpiper, Boskalis will effectively double its capacity and thereby becomes the largest player in the industry.
Also read: Boskalis to convert ship into major rock installation vessel
Windpiper
With impressive dimensions of 227 metres in length and 40 metres in breadth, the powerful vessel boasts a total installed power exceeding 31,000 kW. It took a year and a half to convert the vessel into the world’s largest SRI vessel. The process was overseen by Boskalis.
In addition to its moonpool for the fall pipe installation, the vessel now features an inclined fall pipe, crucial for the protection of offshore structures such as the foundations of offshore wind turbines. Equipped with seven thrusters and DP2 certification, the Windpiper is specifically designed for optimal performance in challenging offshore conditions.
Also read: Strong year for Boskalis, major fleet additions forthcoming
Fewer round trips
The vessel’s substantial capacity, divided over two holds, makes it well-suited for projects with a long transit distance between the rock loading facilities and the project site, such as those along the North American East Coast, the Baltic Sea and the Southern North Sea.
This large capacity minimises the number of round trips required, ultimately leading to less emissions and lower costs per installed volume of rock. Additionally, with over 100 single-occupancy cabins, the vessel can comfortably accommodate client representatives alongside the onboard crew.
Also read: Boskalis orders 24,000-tonne high-end cable lay vessel
Christening
The Windpiper was officially christened last Friday, 3 July, in Rotterdam by Ms. Jones-Bos, member of the Boskalis Supervisory Board. On Saturday, Boskalis welcomed more than 3000 colleagues and their family members on board to celebrate this special occasion.
Also read: Second Boskalis vessel links to Remote Operations Center
Previous conversions
Boskalis has experience in converting existing vessels to serve additional and/or new purposes. For example, in 2023, Boskalis acquired a pipe-laying vessel and subsequently converted it into a broadly deployable cable-laying vessel, the Boka Ocean.
In 2022, Drydocks World completed the conversion of former drill ship Yan into the crane vessel Bokalift 2. In 2017, Boskalis’ heavy transport vessel (HTV) Finesse was converted into transport and installation crane vessel (HLV) Bokalift 1.
Boskalis sees the conversion of ships as a sustainable approach that not only extends the useful life of existing hulls, but also offers significant advantages regarding the vessels’ time to market.
Picture: Windpiper in Rotterdam for its christening (photo by Boskalis).
