Dong Fang Offshore Launches Taiwan’s First Helicopter O&M Service

May 12, 2025, by Adrijana Buljan

Dong Fang Offshore has made a capital investment in Apex Aviation to establish what the company says is Taiwan’s first self-operated offshore wind helicopter fleet.

The first helicopter is expected to enter service in the fourth quarter of this year.

With the helicopter fleet, Dong Fang Offshore will carry out personnel transport, emergency medical evacuation, equipment inspection, and maintenance. These services will complement existing vessel-based operations to improve responsiveness, safety, and overall operational efficiency, the company said on 12 May.

“With Taiwan now ranked fifth globally in offshore wind turbine installations, a well-developed and efficient logistics support system will be a key competitive advantage for the industry. The launch of this integrated sea-air maintenance model, which has been two years in the making, will open a new chapter for Taiwan’s offshore wind O&M sector”, said Polin Chen, CEO of Dong Fang Offshore.

The Taiwanese offshore wind service provider is also expanding its vessel fleet and recently signed a contract with the Norwegian shipbuilder Vard for the design and construction of a commissioning service operation vessel (CSOV), a third vessel of this design, following two CSOVs Dong Fang ordered at Vard in May 2024.