Contract inked for first-ever Taiwan-flagged SOV

Ørsted has signed a 15-year charter contract with Ta San Shang Marine for a service operation vessel (SOV). The contract will see the shipping company building the first Taiwan-flagged SOV in the world.

Ørsted will deploy the SOV for operation and maintenance (O&M) at its Greater Changhua offshore wind farms.

Ta San Shang Marine, a joint venture of Taiwan’s Ta Tong Marine Group (TTM) and Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), will deliver the SOV in early 2022. The vessel will use the Port of Taichung as its base port to serve the Greater Changhua offshore wind farms.

According to Ørsted, the SOV design fits the complicated and harsh environment in the Taiwan Strait.

The first Taiwan-flagged SOV will accommodate up to 60 technicians, plus the crew. It will feature a motion-compensated gangway, dynamic positioning system and a 3D motion-compensated crane.

Furthermore, the vessel will be prepared for fossil fuel-free operation. It will also have an optimized hull design and a battery-hybrid setup to help reduce fuel consumption and decrease carbon footprint, Ørsted said.

The developer is building the 900 MW Greater Changhua 1 & 2a offshore wind project, some 35 to 60 kilometres off Changhua County. Ørsted will complete the construction of the 1 and 2a offshore wind farms between 2021 and 2022.

The offshore wind developer also holds the rights for building another 920 MW at Greater Changhua 2b & 4 sites. The 2b & 4 project should be up and running in 2025, subject to the developer’s final investment decision, due in 2023.