Vestas has signed a framework agreement with Marco Polo Marine which finalises the previous Memorandum of Understanding between Marco Polo Marine’s Taiwan-based subsidiary, PKR Offshore, and Vestas Taiwan, for the maiden deployment of a new Commissioning Service Operations Vessel (CSOV) on offshore wind projects in the Asia Pacific region.
The new CSOV, which can accommodate up to 110 persons, will be deployed across various offshore wind farms in the Asia Pacific region over three years, based on a minimum utilisation commitment per annum.
The vessel is currently under construction at Marco Polo Shipyard in Batam, Indonesia, and is expected to commence operations in the East China Sea in the second half of 2024.
In September 2022, Marco Polo Marine unveiled its plans to build, own, and operate the CSOV to meet the increasing demand for support vessels from the offshore wind farm industry in Asia.
The 83-metre-long vessel will be the first CSOV to be designed in Asia and will be equipped with a walk-to-work gangway and a 3D motion-compensated crane.
It will also feature hybrid-based energy storage systems expected to reduce carbon emissions by up to 20 per cent.
”Given the current shortage of suitable vessels for wind farm operations in the region, we are confident that by entering into such long-term agreement, we are enhancing vessel market maturity and pricing stability. This in turn is expected to lead to improvements in future projects and Vestas’ operational readiness. Both parties’ teams have done tremendous work over the past months to bring this agreement to finalization, and we look forward to further strengthening and deepening our relationship in the coming years,” said Dennis Mordhorst , Regional Director Offshore Support, Vestas Asia Pacific.
The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) expects new offshore wind installations to exceed 10 GW in 2026 and nearly 15 GW by 2030 in Asia. By 2050, the region is projected to achieve a total of 613 GW offshore wind installations. Against this backdrop of expected growth in Asia, the industry will continue to grapple with a shortage of suitable specialised wind installation vessels, Marco Polo Marine said. Coupled with the global pivot towards clean energy, the company foresees expected strong demand for its marine vessels over the long term.
”We are thrilled to announce today the formalisation of our partnership with Vestas, which marks a critical milestone in our efforts to tap into accelerating demand for support vessels from the region’s offshore wind farm industry,” said Sean Lee , CEO of Marco Polo Marine.
”This achievement underscores Marco Polo Marine’s unwavering commitment to delivering cutting-edge, specialised wind construction vessels that offer its customers unparalleled performance, quality, and reliability. In an era where the global focus is shifting towards clean energy solutions, we stand ready to leverage on the robust, longterm demand for our marine vessels.”
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