CSBC Corp, Taiwan (CSBC, 台灣國際造船) yesterday launched the CSBC No. 15, the first locally made accommodation barge for offshore wind farms.
The nation’s largest local shipbuilder plans to use the barge to support the offshore wind projects of developers it has partnered with: projects by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners K/S (CIP), and the project codeveloped by Yushan Energy Pte Ltd (玉山能源) and Northland Power Inc (北陸, NPI), CSBC president Tseng Kuo-cheng (曾國正) said.
Its subsidiary CSBC-DEME Wind Engineering Co Ltd (台船環海) last year signed a letter of intent with Yushan and NPI, and would undertake all marine construction for the Hai Long projects, including Hai Long 2A with a power capacity of 300 megawatts (MW), Hai Long 2B with a capacity of 232MW and Hai Long 3 with a capacity of 512MW, Tseng said.
CSBC-DEME in May inked a priority contractor deal with CIP for transporting and installing 62 wind turbine generators for CIP’s Chang Fang (彰芳) and Xidao (西島) projects, Tseng said.
The barge is likely to support CIP first, as the government requires construction of its wind farms to be completed from 2021 to 2024, while the wind farms developed by Yushan and NPI are to be completed from 2024 to 2025, he said.
CSBC is negotiating with other developers who plan to deploy the barge next year, Tseng said, declining to name potential partners.
“The barge will be in full service next year as there is so far no other locally made barge of its size,” Tseng said. “Despite developers being able to use foreign barges, we have advantages, as we know the domestic regulations better and we are closer.”
The new barge, which yesterday left the Port of Keelung on its maiden voyage transporting 15 hull units and erection blocks, is expected to arrive in the Port of Kaohsiung on Thursday, the company said.
The CSBC No. 15 has a load capacity of up to 23,000 tonnes, is 140m long and 41m wide and has deck space capable of accommodating extra-large and heavy cargoes, the company said.
The barge could, in one run, carry a complete offshore substation: a 3,500 tonne foundation, a 3,400 tonne topside and four 300 tonne pin piles, it added.
The barge could transport three jackets: 30m long, 30m wide, 80m tall and weighing up to 1,200 tonnes each, it said.
CSBC has spent NT$700 million (US$22.54 million) building the barge and said that it expects to charge potential renters a freight fee of less than NT$1 million per day.
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