Mitsui O S K Lines : 2024/06/28 Ta Tong Marine Signs a Deal for Construction of 3rd SOV to Serve Offshore Wind Farm in Taiwan Pursuing SOV Fleet Expansion and Business Development in Asia

June 28, 2024

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President & CEO: Takeshi Hashimoto) and Ta Tong Marine (TSS) today announced their joint venture Ta San Shang Marine Co. Ltd. (TSSM) signed a deal for the construction of a new service operation vessel (SOV) (Note 1) with the Damen Group of the Netherlands on June 27. This is the third newbuilding SOV to TSSM, following the TSS Pioneer(Note 2), the first newly built SOV in Asia (delivered in 2022), and the TSS Cruiser(Note 3), which was ordered last November and is scheduled for delivery at the end of 2025.

＜CG rendering image of Service Operation Vessel＞

This third vessel, also a Taiwan-flagged SOV, is designed to be methanol-ready as a future fuel, just like its sister ship, the TSS Cruiser. It will also be built at the Damen shipyard in Vietnam and is slated for delivery at the end of 2026. This newly built SOV is to serve offshore wind farms in Taiwan, which are scheduled to be constructed and start operation in the late 2020s. The vessel will safely transfer personnel and supplies to the offshore wind farm, by leveraging the experience gained through the operation of the TSS Pioneer, and contribute to the development of Taiwan's offshore wind business by offering comfortable accommodations for wind farm technicians.

MOL Executive Officer Masayuki Sugiyama, responsible for Wind Power Unit said, "We are pleased to have placed an order for TSSM's third SOV. We are confident that the SOV will not only make TSSM the dominant SOV player in Taiwan, but will also serve as a stepping stone for the development of MOL's SOV business in Asia, including Japan."

TSSM Chairman Hrong-Nain Lin added, "We are excited to further expand our fleet with the purchase of another Damen CSOV9020. Through the expansion of our offshore fleet, we can offer an efficient tool in helping to accelerate wind farm constructions., We eagerly anticipate to contribute more in the field of clean energy, to play our part in achieving the goal of Net Zero carbon emissions, ultimately to make the planet inhabitable for future generations."

Damen Shipyards CEO Arnout Damen said, "We are grateful and highly value that TSSM has selected Damen once more as the builder of the newest SOV in their fleet. Last year, we welcomed TSSM into the Damen-family with the CSOV9020 "TSS Cruiser" and since then we have further strengthened and intensified our relationship. We expect that with the two new CSOV9020, TSSM will further strengthen its position in the Taiwanese and Asia-Pacific offshore wind market - with the full support from our side. We look forward to a continued, fruitful, and long relationship with TSSM."

(Signing ceremony)
From left: MOL Executive Officer Masayuki Sugiyama, Damen Director Jelle Brantsma, TSSM Chairman Hrong-Nain Lin, and MOL Executive Officer Koichi Kawanaka

[SOV main specifications]

Flag	Taiwan
Length	87.7m
Breadth	19.7m
Planned draft	5.3m
Max. capacity	120
Main features	Dynamic positioning system (DPS), Motion compensated gangway and crane

About MOL

MOL develops various social infrastructure businesses, technologies, and services, centered on ocean transport, to meet the ever-changing needs of society, including environmental protection. The MOL Group set forth the "MOL Group Environmental Vision 2.2", to promote the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG )emissions from the group and from society at large through a concerted group-wide effort. One of the initiatives to contribute to the reduction of society's GHG emissions is the offshore wind power business. MOL offers a range of services in the offshore wind power business value chain where it can utilize its experience and expertise in maritime transport and offshore businesses (FSRUs, FPSOs, etc.). Leveraging its accumulated business experience and marine engineering know-how, MOL will pursue its initiatives on offshore wind power generation-related businesses and contribute to the realization of a net-zero emission society

For more information: https://www.mol.co.jp/en/services/windpower/

About Ta Tong Marine

Ta Tong Marine (Chairman: Hrong Nain Lin), headquartered in Taipei, is one of Taiwan's leading shipowners and a longtime business partner of MOL in Taiwan. As indicated by the TSS Pioneer business and the construction of the new SOV, the company has been focusing on the offshore wind power business field in Taiwan in recent years.

About Damen

Damen (headquartered in the Netherlands) has more than 30 shipyards and affiliated companies around the world that design, build, and repair various types of niche and complex types of vessels. These include offshore vessels such as SOVs, CTVs, tugboats, navy vessels, dredgers, workboats and ferries. The SOV for TSSM will be built in Vietnam, where Damen has a large presence and a proven track record for building large and complex vessels including SOVs.

(Note 1) [What is a service operation vessel (SOV)?]
SOVs have accommodations for windfarm technicians, allowing them to stay offshore for extended periods. They are equipped with a dynamic positioning system (DPS) to continuously ensure a safe distance between the vessel and the offshore wind turbine platforms, and via its "Walk to Work" gangway with a motion compensation function (absorbing hull movement due to wind and wave action, and so on), the SOV allows the technicians to walk safely between the vessel and the wind turbines.

(Bridge used by wind turbine engineers; Photo courtesy: Ørsted)(Accommodation in SOV)

(Note 2) For details, please refer to the following press release
November 22, 2023: MOL Signs Deal to Build a Construction SOV ("CSOV") to Serve Offshore Wind Farms in Taiwan

(Note 3) For details, please refer to the following press release:
March 10, 2022: Asia-first newbuild Taiwan-flagged Service Operation Vessel delivered to operate for Greater Changhua 1 & 2a Offshore Wind Farms -being part of the Operation & Maintenance setup for Taiwan's Largest Offshore Wind Farm-