Marco Polo Marine has signed a framework agreement with wind turbine maker Vestas, which finalizes the previous Memorandum of Understanding signed in December 2022 between its Taiwan-based subsidiary, PKR Offshore Co., Ltd and Vestas Taiwan Co., Ltd for the maiden deployment of its new Commissioning Service Operations Vessel (CSOV).
According to Marco Polo Marine, the new CSOV, which can accommodate up to 110 people, will be deployed across various offshore wind farms in the Asia Pacific region over three years, based on a minimum utilization commitment per year.
The vessel is currently under construction at Marco Polo Shipyard in Batam, Indonesia, and is expected to start 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 a Commissioning Service Operations Vessel (CSOV) to meet the increasing demand for support vessels from the offshore wind farm industry in Asia. The 83-meter-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 that will reduce carbon emissions by up to 20%.
“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,” said Dennis Mordhorst, Regional Director Offshore Support, Vestas Asia Pacific.
