Van Oord completes installation of nature-inclusive scour protection at new Dutch offshore wind farm

Van Oord has wrapped up the rock installation works at the Hollandse Kust West VI offshore wind farm, owned and developed by Ecowende, a joint venture between Shell, Eneco, and Chubu Electric Power.

Using its vessels Bravenes and Nordnes, Van Oord installed a total of 300,000 tons of rock that will protect turbine foundations and critical cable infrastructure. The company started the scour protection installation campaign in September 2025.

The work included stabilization of all cable protection systems and the installation of eco-rock berms, including rocks of up to 450 kilograms, the largest ever installed by a subsea rock installation vessel (SRIV), Van Oord said on July 22 via social media.

“This achievement sets a new benchmark for combining critical infrastructure protection with marine biodiversity enhancement”, the company said.

The nature-inclusive scour protection design incorporates ecological bays, habitat-forming crevices, and varied rock sizes to create habitats for marine life, and is part of a broader biodiversity protection and enhancement scope for the Hollandse Kust West project, for which Van Oord has been contracted for the transport and installation of foundations and wind turbines, as well as the installation of inter-array cables.

The 760 MW offshore wind farm, being built around 53 kilometers off the coast near IJmuiden, delivered first power to the Dutch grid earlier this month, shortly after its first turbine was installed.

Hollandse Kust West VI, said to be the most ecological offshore wind farm yet, will comprise 52 Vestas V236-15.0 MW turbines, of which seven will be fitted with a single, red-painted blade to test whether the color contrast reduces bird collision risk during rotation. Other above-water measures include a dedicated bird corridor, wider turbine spacing, elevated nacelles, adaptive curtailment and AI-assisted radar monitoring for birds and bats.

The offshore wind farm is expected to be operational by the end of 2026 and to supply roughly 3% of the Netherlands’ current electricity demand.

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