Taiwan’s offshore wind service provider Dong Fang Offshore (DFO) has announced the formal signing of a major subsea and cable lay vessel (CLV) shipbuilding contract with the Norwegian shipyard, Westcon.
Under the agreement, Westcon yard will take over and complete the construction of a large CLV currently underway, with the contracted delivery date in the first quarter of 2027.
DFO said the new vessel order replaces cable installation capacity lost in Taiwan following the recent exercise of the 2028 option for the Orient Adventurer by DeepOcean in Europe, taking the vessel firm to the end of 2028 in Europe, with further options until 2031.
The chief executive officer of DFO stated: “The decision for this new CLV is driven by the successful extension of the Orient Adventurer’s contract, and as such a new vessel is required to replace her for subsea cable projects DFO have already secured in 2028 in APAC. Considering the vessel’s delivery schedule, secured contract backlog, competitive building price, and future business development, we look forward to welcoming our second CLV to the fleet.”
With the addition of the new CLV, DFO’s operational capability will be significantly improved. The number of large construction vessels over 100 meters will rise from two to seven by 2027.
DFO’s operated fleet will include two large CLVs, two construction support vessels with cable repair capability, three service operations vessels, one DP1 survey vessel, two anchor handling tugs, seven crew transport vessels, one cargo barge, and one newly acquired DP2 multicat.
