Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) and Ta Tong Marine Co., Ltd. announced that on November 21, through their joint venture Ta San Shang Marine Co. Ltd. (TSSM), signed a deal with Damen Shipyards of the Netherlands for the construction of a new service operation vessel (SOV).
As TSSM’s second Taiwan-flagged SOV, following Asia’s first, the TSS Pioneer, which was delivered in 2022, the vessel is scheduled for delivery at the end of 2025 in Vietnam.
The 90-m new CSOV, which is methanol ready as a future fuel, will support offshore wind farms in Taiwan, and, backed by the experience in SOV operation cultivated with the TSS Pioneer, it will provide comfortable accommodations at sea for personnel from windfarm developers, wind turbine manufacturers, construction companies, and so on. The safe transfer of personnels and supplies from the vessel to the offshore wind farm will contribute to the development of Taiwan’s offshore wind power industry.
“The addition of this new SOV to the TSS Pioneer will consolidate TSSM’s position as a leading SOV player in Taiwan. We also intend to use this project as a steppingstone for MOL’s business development in the Asian region, including Japan,” said Masayuki Sugiyama, MOL executive officer responsible for the wind power project unit.