Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Partners with Compatriot Company for Floating Offshore Wind

February 14, 2025, by Adnan Memija

Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and its compatriot Fukada Salvage & Marine Works have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore collaboration on the transportation and installation vessels for floating offshore wind turbines.

Floating offshore wind turbines are normally assembled at a port and then towed to the installation site. After being towed to the site, the wind turbine position is maintained by a mooring system consisting of anchors and mooring lines.

This series of towing and mooring operations requires work vessels such as anchor-handling vessels.

MOL and Fukada Salvage & Marine Works aim to establish a joint ownership and operation system for new vessels suitable for transportation and installation of floating wind turbines, as well as a procurement framework for mooring systems.

The Japanese government aims to deploy 10 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030 and 30-45 GW by 2040, including floating wind, as part of its target to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

In March 2024, Japan passed an amendment to the “Act on Promoting the Utilization of Sea Areas”, expanding the area for setting up offshore wind to the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

At the end of last year, the government gave exclusive rights to the JERA-led consortium and BP, along with its consortium partners, to develop two offshore wind farms in Japan’s territorial waters.