Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. 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 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.

TSSM Chairman Hrong Nain Lin added, "With our experience in operating Asia's first dedicated offshore wind SOV, we're now prepared to offer more for the Green Energy Industry. This Damen CSOV will be a valuable new force to support Taiwan offshore wind developments and other future projects in Asia Pacific region. We, as always, will continue to provide safe working environment and a comfortable home at sea for technicians and marine crew."

Damen Shipyards CEO Arnout Damen said "We are very honored to welcome TSSM into the Damen family. We are also very happy that after reviewing the options, TSSM has opted for the proven Damen CSOV9020 design. We are confident that this new vessel will make a significant contribution to the development of the Taiwanese offshore wind sector and beyond. We look forward to a very fruitful and long relationship with TSSM"

MOL will contribute to the realization of a net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emission society by leveraging its accumulated business experience and marine engineering expertise to promote offshore wind power generation businesses.

Flag	Taiwan
Length	87.7m
Breadth	19.7m
Planned draft	5.3m
Max. capacity	120 crewmembers and passengers
Main features	Dynamic positioning system (DPS), Motion compensated gangway and crane