Posted on September 7, 2026
Forty-five kilometres off the Belgian coast, we are helping to build the Princess Elisabeth Island: an artificial energy-island in the Belgian North Sea that will transport renewable energy generated by offshore wind farms to the onshore high-voltage grid. As part of the TM EDISON consortium, we are delivering this project for transmission system operator Elia.
To protect the island from the forces of the sea while enhancing biodiversity, Elia, together with us and other experts, developed a Nature Inclusive Design strategy. A key element of this strategy is the creation of new oyster reefs on the scour protection surrounding the island.
Rock installation vessel Daniel Bernoulli becomes a floating oyster nursery
For this project, we are deploying our Oyster Reef Restoration Unit on board our rock installation vessel Daniel Bernoulli for the first time. Joe El Rahi explains how we developed the unit in-house within Reefcovery
The vessel is normally used to install scour protection around offshore energy infrastructure, including offshore wind farms and, in this case, the Princess Elisabeth Island. Now, it is also laying the foundation for nature restoration.
Inside the Oyster Reef Restoration Unit, young oysters settle directly on the scour protection rocks, grow further and are kept safe, while the vessel is sailing to the project site. By the time we arrive, the oysters are ready for installation as part of the scour protection of the marine infrastructure.
Using the vessel’s fall pipe, the Daniel Bernoulli places the rocks around the island with extreme precision, exactly where they are needed to protect the infrastructure while creating the foundation for a new oyster reef.
A true win-win. We protect critical offshore infrastructure against erosion while restoring nature at the same time. By integrating nature restoration into our core offshore activities, we are ready to apply this approach at scale anywhere in the world.
