Dubai's P&O Maritime Logistics is moving further into the offshore wind market with $30m of contracts in Taiwan.
The company said the deals will tie up three of its ships in the sector from early 2021.
"The future of the offshore market involves a significant diversification into renewable energy and these contracts represent the latest commitment made by P&O Maritime Logistics in support of the company’s wide-ranging renewable energy strategy," the company said.
As part of its continuing shift towards green energy, Taiwan has invested in wind technology that aims to deliver 5.7 GW in output by 2025.
P&O's 86-loa cable-layer Topaz Installer (built 1999) will be used in shore-to-sea and inter-field cable work by charterers Subsea 7 and Van Oord until 2024.
The end client is Orsted Taiwan, a venture controlled by Danish renewables giant Orsted.venture. .
The 98-loa subsea construction vessel Topaz Tangaroa (built 2019) meanwhile will work on the Greater Changua offshore field supporting Van Oord's 122-loa cable-lay vessel Nexus (built 2015) on cable trenching. The end client for this project is also Orsted.
Boskalis deal
And sistership Topaz Tiamat has also clinched a three and a half year charter from January to work in the Changfang and Xidao wind farms.
The vessel will support the installation of foundations and monopiles for Dutch shipowner Boskalis.
Robert Desai, chief commercial officer of P&O Maritime Logistics, said the deals were a "significant win" for some of the company's most advanced and modern vessels.
"I’m delighted to be able to capture value in what are very challenging times for the offshore industry," he added.
Norwegian offshore vessel owner Solstad Offshore has also won a couple of wind contracts in Taiwan in recent months.
Desai added: "We are particularly pleased to be able to play a part in the exciting offshore wind market in Taiwan and to be working for such prestigious clients in this important and growing segment."
Turbine installation is forecast to rise from 600 per year globally in 2020 to 1,000 by 2023 and 1,500 by 2025, although these figures exclude China, which is a closed market.
Earlier this year, P&O Maritime chief executive Martin Helweg told TradeWinds: "Renewable energy is an increasingly important part of the global energy mix, hence also a critical growth market for us."
Topaz Tangaroa has previously been working on wind farms in the southern North Sea.
