DOS Borssele 1&2

In the Netherlands, offshore wind farms provide great opportunities for restoring marine ecosystems, as they are relatively undisturbed and no fishing is allowed. And with Ørsted having a mission to become net-biodiversity positive, Borssele wind farm offered a great opportunity to pilot our droppable structures. Because of the new design, we could install the oysters during maintenance work, using the idle hours of the CTV, enhancing cost efficiency and ease of deployment.

To evaluate the methods’ effectiveness and monitor oyster settlement and reef formation, we collect video footage using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). While it’s too soon to speak about impact yet, the first footage shows that the structures landed as expected and are undamaged after the fall, and more importantly, the oysters are doing well and we already see much life on and around the DOS, such as fish, crabs, algae and anemones. Monitoring will continue until 2032, providing insight into the impact of this project.