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.