Recently, 2 service operation vessels (SOVs) with a capacity of 100 and 60 people respectively, built by ZPMC for Shanghai Electric Wind Power Group, were successfully launched in Qidong, Jiangsu Province. It marks the first time for Asian wind power machine manufacturers to introduce specialized SOVs that integrate high efficiency, green service, intelligence and safety in the field of offshore wind operations & maintenance (O&M).

The 2 SOVs are made of steel, equipped with diesel-electric power and lithium battery hybrid power supply scheme, pure-electric propulsion system and DC busbar distribution system. The 2 SOVs get CCS class notations of hybrid propulsion ship and green eco-ship; boost a large deck space and better operation performance that may realize the efficient transportation and storage of the equipment and maintenance spare parts in the wind farms; and provide daughter crafts and boarding platforms. The SOV that can accommodate 100 people is equipped with the aluminum alloy helicopter deck, which can greatly improve the efficiency of personnel deployment, the DP2 dynamic positioning system, which can increase SOVs’ positioning ability and accuracy, and the folding arm marine deck crane. The SOV that can accommodate 60 people is equipped with the first wave-compensated retractable gangway in China, which is newly developed by ZPMC, enabling the transfer of personnel or equipment and wind farm O&M under harsh sea conditions. Thus, the SOV’s safety performance and work efficiency will be much higher than that of conventional SOVs, which greatly prolongs the O&M window of wind farms.

The successful launching of the 2 SOVs and their formal outfitting at the quay moorings have laid a technological leadership cornerstone for ZPMC’s strategic planning in the wind power sector. After the 2 SOVs are put into operation, they will be specially applied to large-scale wind farms over 40 km away from the shore, which can largely alleviate the pain points of the current mainstream Chinese marine traffic vessels, such as the short period of window, inability of successive operation, high frequent round trips, low efficiency, and poor applicability to adverse weather and sea conditions, etc., as well as provide strong support and one of the world’s best solutions for the O&M at deep-sea projects at present.