Duo share £1.2bn coastal beach management framework. Aaron Morby 1 hour ago The Environment Agency has appointed dredging and marine engineering specialists Van Oord and VBA Joint Venture to a £1.23bn framework to maintain England's beaches and coastal flood defences over the next eight years. The Beach Management Framework will run initially for six years to 2032, with an option to extend for a further two years to 2034. The new deal effectively squeezes out firms like BAM Nuttall, Kier, and Jackson Civil Engineering which have historically been involved as delivery partners. | Beach Management Framework contractors | | Van Oord UK | Marine dredging, beach nourishment and coastal engineering specialist | | VBA Joint Venture | Partnership between VolkerStevin, Boskalis Westminster and AtkinsRéalis | Under the new deal, contractors will carry out routine and emergency beach maintenance works along England's coastline, moving millions of tonnes of shingle from areas of build-up to erosion hotspots to maintain flood protection standards. The framework will also cover beach recharge schemes using marine dredged and land-won aggregate, rock armour placement, repairs to sea defences and emergency coastal response following severe weather events. Work worth up to £10m can be awarded directly under a geographical allocation system, while larger schemes will be competed between the two framework partners. The Environment Agency said the programme is critical to protecting homes, businesses and infrastructure from rising sea levels, coastal erosion and increasingly extreme weather events. VBA said the framework would enable it to continue delivering beach recharge, sediment recycling and coastal maintenance schemes aimed at reducing erosion and strengthening natural flood defences around England. The joint venture has worked with the Environment Agency since 2013 through its water, environment, marine and coastal programmes.

TMC's Compressors destined for Van Oord subsea rock installation vessels. * 8 June 2026 (Image credit: Van Oord/Ulstein) Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore Ltd has contracted Norway-based TMC Compressors (TMC) to deliver the marine compressed air system to two innovative subsea rock installation vessels that are being built for international marine contractor Van Oord. Under the contract, TMC will deliver a complete marine compressed air system, including instrument air compressors and air dryers, to each of the two vessels. TMC has not disclosed the value of the contract. "It is always fun and interesting to equip innovative and unique vessels such as these two. They can play an important role in facilitating the energy transition through enabling, amongst other things, offshore wind projects," said Hans-Petter Tanum, TMC's director of sales and business development. Subsea rock installation, pioneered by Van Oord since the 1970s, is vital for protecting and stabilizing offshore energy assets. With a track record in efficient and innovative flexible fallpipe vessels, Van Oord is a market leader in seabed intervention. The new vessels will be equipped with a substantial loading capacity of 35,000 tonnes, will be capable of handling large rock sizes, and feature a DP-2 dynamic positioning system. This advanced system will enable the vessels to maintain precise positioning despite challenging conditions such as waves, wind, and currents. These features will make the vessels ideal for long-distance projects, as they will minimize round trips, reducing emissions and costs per installed rock volume. The sustainable design of the vessels includes multi-fuel engines (biofuel and methanol), a DC-grid with large battery storage capacity, and an energy-efficient hull design and rock handling system. "Our marine compressed air systems are highly reliable and designed so that the vessel crew can maintain the compressors themselves, also while at sea. We believe this is the ideal solution for a vessel that is designed to manage long-distance projects," added Hans-Petter Tanum. Van Oord is a Dutch family-owned company with more than 155 years of experience as an international marine contractor. The company operates a fleet of 61 vessels, including three subsea rock installation vessels. TMC is headquartered in Oslo, Norway. The company designs and delivers compressed air systems solely for marine and offshore use. More in Subsea & Survey

Van Oord starts Ecowende turbine installation for 760 MW Dutch wind farm. Estimated reading time: 3 minutes First turbine marks shift to main installation phase. Van Oord has installed the first wind turbine at the Ecowende offshore wind farm, moving the 760 MW Dutch project into its turbine installation phase after completion of foundation works. The turbine was installed on May 30 at Hollandse Kust West VI, about 53 kilometres off the coast of IJmuiden. The project will comprise 52 Vestas V236 15.0 MW turbines and is expected to supply around 3% of current Dutch electricity demand once operational. For offshore wind contractors, the milestone is more than a symbolic first lift. It signals the start of a tightly sequenced installation campaign in which vessel availability, port logistics, component staging and weather windows must line up with little margin for delay. Boreas deployed for North Sea campaign. Van Oord is carrying out the work with its offshore installation vessel Boreas. The vessel is being used to install the Vestas turbines at a site designed around stricter ecological requirements than conventional offshore wind projects. The campaign follows earlier foundation works at the project and the start of turbine component loadouts from Eemshaven. In practical terms, the job now shifts from seabed and foundation execution to repeated heavy lift operations involving towers, nacelles, blades and offshore assembly. It is a familiar offshore wind challenge, but on a larger scale. Each turbine is like a small industrial plant being assembled at sea. The work depends on precision handling, stable deck planning, port coordination and the ability to make use of short weather windows in the North Sea. Ecowende project combines power output and ecology. The Ecowende wind farm is being developed by the Ecowende joint venture of Shell, Eneco and Chubu. The project is positioned as a test case for offshore wind development that combines large scale power generation with measures aimed at reducing ecological impact. The site will use 52 Vestas V236 15.0 MW turbines. Vestas is also linked to the project through turbine supply and long term maintenance arrangements. For the Dutch offshore wind sector, the numbers are clear. A 760 MW wind farm is a major grid connected asset. At the same time, the project's ecological conditions add complexity for contractors working offshore. Installation methods, vessel deployment and construction timing all have to fit within those requirements. Supply chain work continues in parallel. The turbine milestone follows other project logistics activity around Hollandse Kust West VI. Inter array cable work has also advanced, with cable handling and offshore installation forming part of the wider construction schedule. That matters for the project cargo and maritime sector because offshore wind farms are not built in one straight line. Foundations, cables, turbines, substations, ports and vessels all move according to linked schedules. A delay in one package can quickly affect another. In this case, the start of turbine installation shows that the project has entered one of its most visible stages. For ports, vessel operators and suppliers, it also confirms that the heavy offshore logistics phase remains active in the Dutch North Sea. Completion target remains end 2026. The Ecowende wind farm is planned to be commissioned by the end of 2026. Once complete, it is expected to generate enough renewable electricity to cover about 3% of current power demand in the Netherlands. For industry professionals, the key point is operational. Van Oord's first turbine installation marks the handover from preparation to serial execution. The coming months will test the coordination between installation vessel, turbine supplier, port base and offshore teams as the remaining 51 turbines are installed. "Breakbulk.News publishes editorial content, including news, features and press releases supplied by third-party companies, institutions and PR agencies. Third parties who submit material to us are solely responsible for ensuring that all text, images, logos and other content they provide are accurate and that they hold all necessary rights, licences and permissions for news use. By submitting content to Breakbulk.News, contributors represent and warrant that their material does not infringe the rights (including copyright and related rights) of any third party and agree to indemnify Breakbulk.News in respect of any claims arising from their submissions. If you believe any content on our site infringes your rights, please contact us at [email protected] with full details and we will investigate promptly..."