VESSEL REVIEW | Fenghua 23 – Multi-role maintenance ship to support Chinese offshore wind industry

China’s Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding recently handed over a new offshore maintenance vessel to local company Fujian Operation and Maintenance Technology. Named Fenghua 23 (丰华23), the vessel was designed by the China Shipbuilding Group’s 708 Research Institute to serve as a multi-functional operation and maintenance mothership that will support the activities of offshore wind farms in Chinese waters. It will achieve this by performing a range of duties such as cable laying, cable repairs, and protection of offshore wind turbines.

Long endurance combined with dedicated equipment suites

The vessel has an LOA of 98.7 metres (324 feet), a beam of 22.8 metres (74.8 feet), a depth of nine metres (30 feet), a displacement of 9,497 tonnes, and an all-electric propulsion system that also includes azimuthing and side thrusters for enhanced manoeuvrability. The propulsion can also enable the vessel to sail up to 10,000 nautical miles, ensuring uninterrupted transits to and from offshore sites.

Also fitted are a DP2 system and a four-point mooring system to ensure adequate station keeping, which is necessary for installation and maintenance work especially under harsh offshore conditions. Because the vessel can safely operate in rough seas and bad weather, cable installation and windarm construction and maintenance activities will be subject to fewer downtimes.

The vessel's specially designed aft deck can be equipped with a variety of technical equipment according to different operational needs. The core equipment suite consists exclusively of locally manufactured systems and includes a wind power intelligent operation and maintenance system, a cable laying system, and a burial plough.

The vessel has a crew complement of 20 but can also accommodate up to 40 additional personnel including offshore technicians. Construction was completed in compliance with China Classification Society rules.