Keel Laid for Green Jade

CDWE, a joint venture between CSBC and DEME Offshore, held an official keel laying ceremony for the Green Jade installation vessel at CSBC’s shipyard in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on 5 March.

The first steel for Green Jade, the first Taiwan-built floating heavy-lift offshore wind installation vessel, was cut in September 2020.

“We are proud to have successfully reached the next stage of the construction process”, said Hugo Bouvy, Managing Director DEME Offshore. “This special vessel is set to revolutionise the offshore wind sector, given its extensive capabilities and loading capacity. Our decision to make such a substantial investment – taken at the height of the pandemic – is already proving to be the right one. Indeed, ‘Green Jade’ has a healthy orderbook for the first three years”.

Set to enter service in 2022, the next-generation vessel will be deployed on the Hai Long and Zhong Neng offshore wind farms in Taiwan, where the construction is expected to start in 2023.

The 216.5-metre DP3 vessel will be fitted with a 4,000-tonne capacity Huisman crane and will be able to accommodate up to 160 people. It will have a large deck space to enable transport and installation of multiple massive next-generation foundations and wind turbines in a single shipment.

Along with dual fuel engines, a Green Passport and Clean Design notation, Green Jade will also be equipped with other environmental innovations on board, such as a waste heat recovery system.

“The birth of ‘Green Jade’ shouldered multiple missions. It revolutionised and brought Taiwan’s shipbuilding technology and marine engineering to a new era, while facilitating the government’s localisation policy, allowing industrial technology and capability to take root in Taiwan”, said Kurt Guo, Chairman CDWE.