Early Delivery of Large Offshore Wind Turbine Installation Vessel (WTIV) on the 31st of Last Month
President Philippe Levy: "Forming a One Team Improved Both Work Efficiency and Quality"
Hanwha Ocean, Korea's Leading WTIV Builder, Accelerates Comprehensive Wind Power Service Expansion
Hanwha Ocean (CEO President Kim Hee-chul) successfully achieved early delivery of a large offshore wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV, Wind Turbine Installation Vessel) on the 31st of last month.
Test operation scene of a large offshore wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) built by Hanwha Ocean. Photo by Hanwha Ocean
By advancing the scheduled delivery date by about a month through an efficient process based on a 'one team' approach, Hanwha Ocean once again demonstrated its technological superiority in the offshore wind value chain.
The delivered WTIV was ordered in 2021 from the global offshore wind specialist company Cadeler Inc. The WTIV, measuring 148m in length and 56m in width, can lift loads weighing up to 2,600 tons.
This WTIV can transport and install five 15MW-class large offshore wind turbines at once and is capable of installing turbine-related equipment at depths of up to 65 meters. The WTIV is scheduled to begin its first operation at the Changhua offshore wind farm located in Taiwan.
Philippe Levy, Head of Hanwha Ocean’s Marine Business Division, said, “To achieve early delivery, we formed a one team with the client from the commissioning start stage, minimizing the time required to resolve issues and implement solutions, which allowed us to simultaneously improve work efficiency and quality. This early delivery once again confirmed that Hanwha Ocean possesses unparalleled technological capabilities and response capacity in the offshore wind market.”
Offshore wind is currently one of the fastest-growing sectors in the energy market, and recently, the capacity of offshore wind turbines has been increasing from below 10MW to above 10MW. In line with the growing offshore wind market and the increasing demand for larger offshore wind turbines, the demand for large WTIVs is also expected to continue rising.
Hanwha Ocean is showing remarkable progress in the growing wind market. To date, it has successfully delivered a total of three WTIVs, and an additional vessel under construction is scheduled for delivery by the end of this year. This is the largest number of WTIV orders and constructions among domestic shipbuilders.
Beyond WTIV construction achievements, Hanwha Ocean is also advancing as a ‘total solution provider’ covering the entire offshore wind market. Starting with wind power project development, it plans to provide comprehensive offshore wind services including the manufacturing, transportation, installation, and maintenance of substructures and offshore substations.
In fact, last month Hanwha Ocean succeeded in independently developing a model of the lower floating body, a key component of floating offshore wind turbines, and obtained conceptual approval from the Norwegian classification society DNV, demonstrating its in-house capabilities.
Hanwha Ocean is also dedicating efforts to other marine businesses to expand the marine energy value chain beyond wind power.
In this regard, Hanwha Ocean is attempting to transition into an ‘EPCIO (Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Installation, and Operation) solution provider’ for floating offshore production facilities and marine renewable energy-related businesses.
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