Van Oord Installs All Monopiles at Hollandse Kust West VI, Completes ‘Industry’s First’ Silent Installation

Van Oord has completed the installation of monopiles at the Hollandse Kust West Site VI, developed by a joint venture between Shell, Eneco and Chubu Electric Power. The Dutch offshore contractor installed three of the project’s 52 monopiles using GBM Works’ VibroJet technology in combination with CAPE Holland’s vibro lifting tool, the first time this silent installation method was completed at commercial scale, according to the Ecowende joint venture and Van Oord.

The monopile foundations for the 760 MW offshore wind farm were produced by Sif and Smulders and will support 52 Vestas V236-15.0 MW wind turbines.

The silent monopile installation campaign, carried out using Van Oord’s offshore wind installation vessel Boreas, was designed to reduce underwater noise and minimise impacts on marine life. It combines vibrations with controlled water jetting inside the monopile to fluidise the soil and lower installation resistance.

Van Oord and Ecowende said the technology demonstrated strong performance in the dense sand conditions typical of the Dutch North Sea. The companies highlighted that the seabed conditions at Hollandse Kust West, characterised by dense sand layers, are among the most challenging in the Dutch sector of the North Sea, underlining the significance of the successful deployment.

The VibroJet solution, developed by GBM Works, relies on the company’s Fluidflow prediction model to control how water jets interact with varying soil conditions, enabling precise installation, according to the contractor. The method was deployed alongside CAPE Holland’s vibro technology, which uses vertical vibrations to temporarily reduce soil resistance and allow monopiles to penetrate under their own weight.

Boreas installed the first monopile at the Hollandse Kust West Site VI in December 2025.

The silent monopile installation campaign was carried out as part of Ecowende’s ambition to develop what it aims to be the most ecological offshore wind farm to date. The developer is targeting reduced impacts on birds, bats and marine mammals, while enhancing biodiversity in the North Sea.

Data gathered during the VibroJet and vibro installations will be used to validate predictive models for underwater noise and pile behaviour, potentially supporting wider adoption of low-noise installation techniques across the offshore wind sector, Ecowende said.

As the contractor, Van Oord is responsible for transporting and installing the monopile foundations, laying the inter-array cables, and transporting and installing the wind turbines at the offshore site.

Located approximately 53 kilometres off the Dutch coast near IJmuiden, the 760 MW Hollandse Kust West VI is expected to be operational by the end of 2026 and to supply roughly 3 per cent of the Netherlands’ current electricity demand.

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