Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and Ta Tong Marine have launched the first-ever Taiwan-flagged service operations vessel (SOV), chartered by Ørsted for its Greater Changhua offshore wind farms.
The vessel, informally named TSS Pioneer , is being built by Vard at its Vung Tau shipyard in Vietnam, from where it will be delivered early next year to Ta San Shang Marine, a joint company owned by MOL and Ta Tong Marine.
The 84.4-metre vessel has a beam of 19.5 metres and can accommodate 87 people in single cabins. It features a motion-compensated gangway, dynamic positioning system, and a 3D motion-compensated crane.
Propulsion is hybrid with a diesel-electric solution, which allows for reductions in fuel consumption, maintenance and emissions, as well as improved responsiveness, Vard said last year as it signed the shipbuilding contract.
Under a 15-year charter contract with Ta San Shang Marine, Ørsted will deploy the SOV for operation and maintenance (O&M) at its Greater Changhua 1 & 2a offshore wind farms, currently under construction some 35 to 50 kilometres off the coast of Changhua County.
The 900 MW project will comprise two offshore substations and 111 Siemens Gamesa 8 MW wind turbines, scheduled to be fully operational by the end of 2022, when it will become Taiwan’s first far shore and large-scale offshore wind project.