The charter contract is for a bespoke SOV that will be utilized to provide O&M services for the Greater Changhua offshore wind farms

Orsted

Ørsted selects SOV to provide O&M services for Taiwanese offshore wind farms. (Credit: Ørsted A/S.)

Ørsted has signed a 15-year contract with Ta San Shang Marine to build a Taiwan-flagged service operation vessel (SOV) for operations and maintenance (O&M) of its 900MW Greater Changhua 1 & 2a offshore wind farms.

Ta San Shang Marine is a joint venture between Ta Tong Marine Group (TTM) of Taiwan and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), a Japanese shipping company.

Scheduled to be delivered in early 2022, the SOV will use the Port of Taichung as its base port, where Ørsted’s future O&M facilities will be located.

Ørsted’s Greater Changhua 1 & 2a offshore wind farms will be located between 35 and 60km off the coast of Changhua County.

The wind farm will generate enough electricity to be supplied to nearly 1 million Taiwanese households with green power. The construction of the offshore wind farms is expected to be finalised between next year and 2022.

Ørsted Asia Pacific Taiwan general manager Christy Wang said: “Ørsted develops, constructs and operates offshore wind farms around the world and is pioneering and driving offshore wind development in Taiwan.

“Not only are we building the O&M base in the Port of Taichung, we’re also setting an unprecedented industry practice in Taiwan and the region by deploying the bespoke service operation vessel for the Greater Changhua offshore wind farms.

“More importantly, this SOV contract has given the Taiwanese vessel supplier a unique opportunity to tap into state-of-the-art technology in the offshore wind industry.”

SOV to accommodate up to 60 technicians plus the crew

The SOV is claimed to be the first to be custom-built for the harsh and complicated environment in the Taiwan Strait. It can house a crew of over 60 technicians and will only need to return to the shore once a month.

To maintain its position automatically , the SOV will also use a dynamic positioning system.

Ta Tong Marine Group chairman Lin Hrong-nain said: “As the major and long-standing shipping and marine company since 1965 and based on our long-term collaboration with MOL in Taiwan’s shipping industry, we are excited to participate in this new opportunity in offshore wind and appreciate Ørsted’s contribution to invigorating Taiwan’s marine industry.”