ZPMC and Ulstein Design & Solutions have signed a ship design contract on two types of Service Operation Vessels (SOVs) for Shanghai Electric Windpower Group, the first purpose-made SOVs designed for the Chinese offshore wind industry, according to the Norwegian vessel designer.
This contract marks Ulstein’s entry into the Chinese offshore wind industry market, after its first dedicated offshore wind support vessel ( Siem Moxie , now Seaway Moxie ) entered the European market in 2014 and after Ulstein also developed Jones Act-compliant operations and maintenance (O&M) vessel designs for the US market, according to Runar Muren, Managing Director at Ulstein Design & Solutions.
The SOV project for Shanghai Electric contains two different designs with Ulstein’s X-BOW® and X-STERN® features with accommodation for 60 POB and 100 POB respectively.
Both designs will focus on optimising their operational capacity, capability and economy. With battery installed, the vessels will provide greener footprint when servicing the renewable energy segment, Ulstein said.
“Close collaborations among Ulstein, the yard ZPMC and Shanghai Electric have set a strong foundation for the projects. Shanghai Electric is the leading provider of offshore wind turbines in China, and with these two world-class SOVs, we believe we can bring more values to our clients and provide a safer working environment to our colleagues at sea” , said Ma Chengbin , General Manager of Engineering Service Company at Shanghai Electric.
With more than 50 per cent market share, Shanghai Electric is the largest offshore wind turbine supplier in China and is also a large integrated equipment manufacturing enterprise.
In October 2021, the company launched its 11 MW offshore wind turbine, the Petrel platform SEW11.0-208.
The usage of SOVs will significantly improve the efficiency of service operations at offshore wind farms in China, including the stages of construction support and operations and maintenance (O&M), according to Ulstein.
“We are honoured to be selected by Shanghai Electric and ZPMC to design the first SOVs in China. These will be a part of a new standard for future O&M operations in China. We have been working very closely with the clients and our colleagues in Norway and will continue to further develop the Chinese offshore wind industry” , said Johannes Røren , managing director at Ulstein Marine Services.