Japan's Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) has teamed up with a small domestic player to boost the companies' renewables cable-laying prospects.
MOL said the memorandum of understanding with Kokusai Cable Ship (KCS) will allow the partners to target offshore wind work.
The companies have identified increasing demand for installation of power cables that are a key element of supply chains in the globally expanding offshore wind farm business.
KCS has two cable-laying ships and was established in 1966.
The company has been involved in the installation of 70,000 km of undersea cables, mainly in the Asia Pacific region.
KCS also maintains more than 87,000 km of cable.
In 2019, the company launched the 111-loa KDDI Cable Infinity (built 2019), Japan’s first self-propelled power and telecommunications cable-laying vessel.
MOL and group company MOL Marine & Engineering (MOLMEC) have managed and operated four KCS cable-layers down the years.
Collective expertise
MOL is the only one of the big Japanese ocean-going shipowners to be involved in the sector.
The companies said their "collective know-how and skilled personnel" are expected to be used in a wide range of various offshore businesses, including the rapidly growing wind power generation field.
KCS will be responsible for cable handling and laying operations, while MOL and MOLMEC are in charge of ship management and operation, including supplying seafarers who have the advanced skills to operate the dynamic positioning systems used by the vessels.
"As they fulfil these roles, both companies will jointly research commercial opportunities in new submarine cable-laying demand, mainly for offshore wind farm facilities, which are gaining wider application in Japan and throughout Asia," MOL and KCS said.
