MOL Offshore Wind Projects Receive Japanese Government Support

February 9, 2023, by Adnan Memija

Two Mitsui O.S.K Lines (MOL) projects have been selected in a public offering for subsidised projects in the Offshore Wind Power Human Resource Development Project administered by the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, part of Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry.

The first project is constructing a training facility in Kitakyushu and the second is expanding Dynamic Positioning (DP) System Training Courses for offshore wind personnel.

MOL and Hokutaku will jointly construct a training center specialising in the practical operation and maintenance management of offshore wind farms, with the goal of developing skilled personnel for the offshore wind market.

By combining MOL’s knowledge in the shipping industry with Hokutaku’s expertise in the maintenance of wind power generation equipment, the two companies will contribute to the further expansion of the offshore wind industry by providing human resources training programs, MOL said.

This will be the first training facility in Japan that uses an actual wind turbine foundation, said MOL, and the facility is planned for construction on the site of Hokutaku’s Kitakyushu Branch by the end of 2024.

The facility will provide maintenance training, taking into account the risks specific to offshore wind power.

MOL will leverage its strengths as a multimodal transport group company to support the project in terms of financing, transport of equipment, and human resources development based on many years of experience in seafarer training.

The course is intended not only for Hokutaku’s own maintenance engineers but also for everyone involved in the offshore wind maintenance industry in Japan, as well as for companies and working people who are new to the industry.

In Kitakyushu, where the facility will be located, the 220 MW Kitakyushu Hibiki-nada offshore wind project is being developed by Hibiki Wind Energy.

MOL Marine and Engineering Company (MOLMEC) and MOL will expand the curriculum of the training which uses a DP simulator to train and cultivate DP ship handling personnel required for the construction and operation of offshore wind farms.

DP Training Center in MOLMEC head office; Source: MOL

MOL and MOLMEC will contribute to the safe operation of work vessels in the offshore wind market, which is expected to expand in the future.

To ensure the safety of construction work and to train highly-skilled ship handling personnel in Japan, the companies will be working on human resource development of navigators with DP operator certification, work vessel operators with equivalent skills, engineers with DP ship maintenance certification, and maintenance and servicing personnel with equivalent knowledge and skills.