Japan’s Mitsui OSK Lines has ordered another offshore wind farm vessel through its Taiwanese joint venture.
Ta San Shang Marine (TSSM), formed with Taiwan’s Ta Tong Marine Co, has contracted a construction service operation vessel (CSOV) at Dutch shipbuilder Damen Shipyards.
The Damen 9020-type ship is the second in the TSSM fleet, after Vard delivered the 85.5-loa TSS Pioneer last year. The venture also has a crew transfer vessel built in 2019.
The new CSOV will be operational in 2025, Damen said. Construction will take place in Vietnam.
The 90-metre vessel will support wind farms off the coast of Taiwan by providing accommodation for up to 120 personnel and storage for supplies.
A motion-compensated gangway will ensure rapid, safe transfers to and from the turbines and substations, Damen said.
The ship will be fitted with diesel-battery hybrid power generation systems while being prepared for the use of green methanol fuel.
Masayuki Sugiyama, MOL’s executive officer for wind power projects, said: “The addition of this new SOV to the TSS Pioneer will consolidate TSSM’s position as a leading SOV player in Taiwan. We also intend to use this project as a stepping stone for MOL’s business development in the Asian region, including Japan.”
TSSM chairman Hrong Nain Lin added: “With our experience in operating Asia’s first dedicated offshore wind SOV, we’re now prepared to offer more for the green energy industry.”
Growing interest in wind power
Last month, MOL deepened its interest in floating offshore wind by taking a stake in Norway’s Odfjell Oceanwind.
And the month before, it bought into Dutch start-up TouchWind, which is developing a floating turbine system with a single-piece rotor.
The tilting, angled blade is expected to reduce the wind interference between turbines that tends to occur in large wind farms.
In June, the group said it had formed a joint venture to move further into offshore wind vessel operations.
MOL set up a company on a 50/50 basis with domestic group Toyo Construction following a collaboration agreement in February focusing on developing a wind farm ship.
