Belgian offshore contractor DEME has been awarded a substantial contract to handle the transport and installation of foundations for phase 1 of the Zeevonk offshore wind project, located in the Netherlands. The award adds to DEME's growing portfolio of major offshore wind infrastructure work in European waters.

Project Overview and Ownership

The Zeevonk offshore wind farm is jointly owned by Swedish energy company Vattenfall and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, known as CIP, through its Energy Investment Fund I.

When fully developed, the project is expected to reach a total installed capacity of approximately 1 gigawatt, placing it among the significant offshore wind developments currently advancing in the North Sea region.

The contract announced on July 20, 2026, covers work associated with phase 1 of the development, meaning the full build-out of the project encompasses additional phases beyond the scope of this particular award.

Scope of DEME's Contract

Under the terms of the contract, DEME will take on several distinct but interconnected responsibilities relating to the foundation installation program. The company will be responsible for the intermediate transport of monopiles, which are the large steel tubes driven into the seabed to anchor each wind turbine tower in place.

In addition to the monopile transport, DEME will provide marshalling services for both primary and secondary steel components associated with the foundations. Marshalling services in offshore wind projects typically involve the coordination, storage, and handling of components at a staging or port facility prior to their deployment offshore.

The contract also covers the transport and installation of 69 monopile foundations in total during this phase of the project. Beyond the structural installation work, DEME will carry out the installation of a filter layer for scour protection at each foundation location.

Scour protection is a standard engineering requirement at offshore wind sites, where the action of tidal currents and waves around the base of a monopile can erode the seabed sediment, potentially destabilizing the foundation over time. A filter layer acts as the first stage of that protective system.

DEME's Role in Offshore Wind Infrastructure

DEME is a specialist contractor operating across offshore energy, dredging, and marine infrastructure markets. The company has been involved in the installation of offshore wind foundations across multiple European projects, with its heavy lift and installation vessels forming a central part of its service offering to developers and utilities building out wind capacity in the North Sea and beyond.

The Zeevonk contract represents another engagement with major European energy developers, with Vattenfall being one of the continent's most active offshore wind developers and CIP a dedicated infrastructure investment firm focused on the energy transition. CIP channels investment through a series of funds, with the Energy Investment Fund I being the vehicle holding the stake in the Zeevonk project alongside Vattenfall.

Broader Context for DEME's Recent Activity

The Zeevonk award follows a period of continued activity for DEME across multiple business lines. Earlier in July 2026, the company announced it had placed an order for a new 22,000 cubic metre trailing suction hopper dredger, described as a next-generation vessel intended to strengthen its long-term competitiveness in capital dredging work. The vessel order signals continued investment in fleet renewal and expansion.

In late June 2026, DEME also announced a separate initiative in partnership with The Oyster Restoration Company to deliver a project called EuroReefs in the Belgian North Sea.

That project is described as a large-scale offshore nature restoration effort targeting native European flat oyster reef restoration, representing a different dimension of DEME's offshore operations beyond its core energy and dredging activities.

Netherlands as an Offshore Wind Market

The Netherlands has established itself as one of the core markets for offshore wind development in Northwestern Europe, with the Dutch government having set out substantial targets for expanding installed offshore capacity in its waters over the coming decade.

The North Sea areas designated for development off the Dutch coast have attracted bids and investments from major international energy companies and infrastructure funds, making foundation installation contractors such as DEME regular participants in tenders for that market.

The Zeevonk project, with its combined ownership structure involving Vattenfall and CIP, reflects the pattern seen across many large offshore developments where utilities and specialist infrastructure investors co-develop assets to share capital requirements and risk while bringing complementary expertise to project delivery.

With 69 monopile foundations to be transported and installed under this phase 1 contract, and the overall project targeting approximately 1 gigawatt of installed capacity, Zeevonk represents a considerable undertaking in terms of both marine logistics and civil installation work in the North Sea environment.

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