Wind Zaratan recently completed its work at Yunlin and, as the only jack-up vessel remaining in Taiwan with the flexibility to perform maintenance, it has been deployed to the Changfang Xidao offshore wind project in Taiwan.
Currently, Taiwan has 374 offshore turbines installed, with 331 of them having yet to reach three years of operation. As a result, the demand for jack-up vessels capable of major component replacement is relatively low for Taiwanese projects. However, equipment does fail, and when SOVs/CSOVs are insufficient, having a jack-up vessel nearby is invaluable. In Europe, we observe frequent jack-up interventions for maintenance, not just for older turbines but also for several newer ones. Taiwan’s market is no different in this regard. At present, Wind Zaratan is the only jack-up vessel in Taiwan suitable for major component replacement. The demand for jack-up vessels for maintenance purposes in Taiwan is expected to grow, but availability is scarce. This presents a significant challenge that Taiwan will need to address in the coming years, especially as maintenance contracts compete fiercely with installation demands.
Image Source (not project related): Cadeler
