Ulstein awarded offshore wind ship design contract for Shanghai Electric and ZPMC

On 25 January 2022, the ZPMC shipyard, China, and Ulstein Design & Solutions AS signed the ship design contract on two types of Service Operation Vessels (SOVs) for Shanghai Electric Windpower Group. These are the first purpose-made SOVs designed for the Chinese Offshore Wind industry, according to the company's release.

Ulstein Design & Solutions and Shanghai Electric have joined forces to be the first movers into the Chinese offshore wind Operations & Maintenance (O&M) segment. As the first and most advanced SOVs in China, the design process was carried out based on Ulstein’s vast experience within offshore wind farm O&M practice.

The first SOV project contains two different designs, both with the ULSTEIN iconic design features, the X-BOW® and the X-STERN®. Accommodated with 60 POB and 100 POB respectively, these designs are the future enablers to their owner, Shanghai Electric, providing high-efficient, robust, and state-of-the-art O&M service to the end customers. Both designs will focus on optimizing their operational capacity, capability and economy. With batterie installed, the vessels will provide a greener footprint when servicing the renewable energy segment.

With more than 50% market share, Shanghai Electric is the largest offshore wind turbine supplier in China and is also a large integrated equipment manufacturing enterprise.

The usage of SOVs will significantly improve the efficiency of service operations at offshore wind farms in China, including the stages of construction support and O&M. The two designs will be reliable and environmentally friendly platforms and comfortable workplaces at sea. Much consideration has been taken in order to provide technicians with safe and stepless access from the vessel to the wind turbines and ensure sufficient storage and well-organized logistics onboard the vessels.

This contract marks Ulstein’s entry into the Chinese offshore wind market after the first dedicated offshore wind support vessel (Siem Moxie, now: Seaway Moxie) made her entry into the European market in 2014. Ulstein has, in the years thereafter, designed and built several other O&M vessels for the European offshore wind market. Ulstein has also developed Jones Act compliant O&M vessel designs for the US market. The entry into the Chinese and US market, as well as our position in the European market, is not only a milestone for each market separately, but holistically a recognition of Ulstein’s capability in the offshore wind segment.