Shanghai Electric subsidiary Shanghai Electric Wind Power Group has taken delivery of what the company calls Asia’s first offshore wind power service and operation vessels (SOVs), Zhizhen 100 and Zhicheng 60, in Qidong, Jiangsu province. 

Built by Zhenhua Heavy Industries, the ships are expected to carry out continuous operation and maintenance operations in deep water and deep-sea wind farms, which the company hopes will alleviate pain points in China’s current mainstream marine transportation ships.

“These two offshore wind power service and operation vessels integrate efficient operation and maintenance, green and smart operations and maintenance, and are important carriers for the forward-looking structure of electric wind power in deep seas that will drive the high-quality development of China’s offshore wind power operation and maintenance capabilities,” says Liu Xiangnan, vice president of Shanghai Electric Wind Power Group.

The Zhizhen 100 has a 93-meter length, a beam of 18 meters, a depth of 7.6 meters and a designed service speed of 12.3 knots. The Zhicheng 60 has a total length of 73-meter length, a beam of 17.5 meters, a depth of 7 meters and a designed service speed of 12 knots.

The two delivered SOVs are equipped with DP2 dynamic positioning system, have a cargo space with the capacity to store heavy-duty wind turbine spare parts and have a self-sustaining capacity of over 30 days. They are also equipped with an active wave compensation pier that is meant to mitigate hull displacement due to waves, enabling efficient personnel and spare parts transfer and wind farm maintenance even in harsh sea conditions.

The ships also feature a folding arm offshore crane, a workboat, a boarding frame and an aluminum alloy helicopter platform. Powered by a diesel-electric and lithium battery hybrid system with full electric propulsion and a DC busbar distribution, they hold hybrid power and green ship classifications certificated by the China Classification Society.