Japan’s shipping major Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has announced to invest in and to jointly own two commissioning service operation vessels (CSOVs) together with the Cyprus-based Schoeller Holdings Ltd. with delivery scheduled in 2027.

MOL has furthermore also decided to make an investment in Deutsche Offshore Schifffahrt, a Germany-based offshore energy vessel developer and commercial operator, which will operate these two newbuilt CSOVs.

Through this project combination MOL will participate in the offshore wind support vessel business in Europe for the first time, following the company’s SOV business in Taiwan.

Offshore wind power is positioned as a key pillar of medium- to long-term energy policy across Europe, and large-scale offshore wind projects continue to expand in the region, with demand for CSOVs expected to grow further, as MOL expects.