Dong Fang Offshore has recently confirmed the establishment of a new service vessel in Norway. This initiative aims to strengthen the capacity for international projects in the marine energy market, with a budget allocated between $76 million and $86 million.
Details of the New Vessel Construction
According to published information, the board of Dong Fang Offshore has approved the construction of an operations and maintenance support vessel in collaboration with Vard Group or one of its subsidiaries, including Vard Singapore. This vessel will generally be similar to an operations service vessel, but it will have a different design compared to the three SOV/CSOV units that Dong Fang Offshore has previously ordered.
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The most important aspect of this new investment is that, unlike previous vessels dedicated to long-term offshore wind work in Taiwan, this new vessel is designed to provide capacity for international projects.
Development of Dong Fang Offshore's Expansion Plans
This decision is part of a significant development program supported by Vard. Last year, Dong Fang Offshore also ordered a subsea construction vessel worth €113.5 million (equivalent to $134 million) from this Norwegian builder, and another CSOV is planned for delivery in 2028. This vessel is also committed to a 15-year lease in Taiwan.
Dong Fang Offshore is increasingly striving to expand beyond its domestic markets. The company's vessel Orient Adventurer is currently operating under a multi-year contract with DeepOcean in Europe and has also collaborated with the Australian company GO Offshore last year to pursue offshore wind and oil and gas projects in the Asia-Pacific region.
The delivery of the Orient Inspirer vessel from Vard Wong Tau on September 16 was completed two months ahead of schedule. This vessel is set to arrive in Taiwan at the end of this month and is scheduled to commence a 12-year operations and maintenance contract starting November 1. This contract was signed with Vestas for the Changfang-Xidao and Zhong Neng wind farms in 2024.
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