On November 27, Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery (ZPMC) held a steel cutting ceremony for the Offshore Wind Service Operation Vessel (SOV) constructed for the renowned European shipowner LD Armateurs (LDA) Group at its offshore engineering production base. This milestone marks the full entry into the production phase for the first high-end offshore project collaboration between the two parties.
It is reported that the collaboration between ZPMC and France’s LDA Group includes a total of three SOVs. This series of vessels will serve multiple wind farms in northern Germany, providing Chinese-made support for Europe’s green energy transition.
The SOV that broke ground is the first vessel in this series, with all detailed designs completed by ZPMC’s Crane and Pipeline Laying Center. The vessel is 90 meters long, 19.60 meters wide, has a design draft of 5.3 meters, and a crew capacity of 96.
The vessel adopts a diesel-electric hybrid power system with lithium batteries, equipped with cutting-edge technologies including DP2 dynamic positioning, 3D motion-compensated cranes, and wave-compensated gangways. It enables precise operation and maintenance in harsh sea conditions with an endurance exceeding 30 days, meeting the full lifecycle service requirements for offshore wind farms in the German North Sea. Beyond this, the new SOV prioritizes crew and technician comfort in its design, aiming to establish the vessel as a high-standard “floating hotel.”
To ensure the advanced and reliable nature of the project’s technical solutions, ZPMC’s Crane and Pipeline Laying Center has assigned multiple senior experts to the project team since late last year. These experts have been deeply involved in critical phases such as design optimization, system integration, and risk prevention and control. Through forward-looking technical support, they have effectively shortened the design cycle, enhanced the competitiveness of the solutions, and laid a solid foundation for the project’s smooth commencement.
Leveraging decades of deep expertise and outstanding construction capabilities in the offshore equipment sector, ZPMC has successfully entered the European high-end offshore equipment market. With the project officially underway, ZPMC will continue to leverage its technological leadership, relying on its highly skilled team to fortify the quality control at the design stage. This ensures the timely delivery of this benchmark SOV, which integrates “green, efficient, safe, and comfortable” features, setting a new industry standard for the global SOV market.