Japanese shipping giant Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) has joined forces with Fukada Salvage & Marine Works to explore collaboration on transportation and installation vessels for floating offshore wind turbines. Floating offshore wind turbines are usually assembled at a port and towed to the installation site by anchor-handling vessels. After being towed to the installation site, their position is maintained by a mooring system consisting of anchors and mooring lines. The duo said the aim is to establish a joint ownership and operation system for new vessels fit to carry out the work and a procurement framework for mooring systems, in anticipation of the floating wind sector ramp-up in the 2030s. The Japanese government aims to deploy 10 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030 and 30-45 GW by 2040, including floating wind where there is a growing interest due to Japan’s limited shallow coastal areas. The country has been looking to raise its domestic procurement for offshore wind in a bid to bolster the local supply chain. Japan’s largest shipowner by fleet numbers has been gradually growing its offshore wind business in Asia with investments in several segments, including crew transfer vessels, construction service operation units, and module carriers that will serve the Japanese offshore wind sector. Fukada has also diversified from its initial marine salvage operations, with towing and installation work for the domestic floating offshore wind market and offshore surveys, in addition to construction and marine civil engineering business. “We will continue to support power generation companies so that they can proceed with ease without the interface risks associated with the procurement of construction vessels and mooring systems,” the companies said in a release on Friday. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1_95_0_1_2'); }); TagsJapan Offshore Wind