Falcon No. 5 and Falcon No. 6 join fleet of Damen FCS vessels in support of offshore wind industry
Damen Shipyards Group has delivered two Fast Crew Suppliers (FCS) 2710 to Hung Hua Construction Co. Ltd. in Taiwan. The vessels, named Falcon No. 5 and Falcon No. 6, join two other Damen FCS 2710 vessels and an FCS 2610 in the company’s fleet.
Like the previous vessels, Falcon No. 5 and Falcon No. 6, will be operated by Dong Fang Offshore (DFO), a wholly owned subsidiary of Hung Hua Construction. The vessels serve the local offshore wind industry currently being developed in Taiwan.
Damen has built the latest two vessels during the challenging times presented by the global coronavirus pandemic. To ensure the well-being of all involved in the project, the shipbuilder introduced robust safety measures. This included social distancing and reducing the amount of personnel on site at one time to minimise risk of spreading the virus.
As a result of such measures, the construction of the vessels was able to continue. Damen has taken steps to ensure their arrival in Taiwan in time for the start of the offshore work season. This has included transporting the Falcon No. 5 and Falcon No. 6 on a heavy lift vessel – faster than sailing the vessels on their own keel. Following their arrival, the vessels are undergoing final preparations ready to commence work in March.
On the photo: FCS 2710 ‘Falcon 6’
“We are pleased to see Falcon No. 5 and Falcon No. 6 joining our fleet in the beginning of 2021. Throughout 2020, the FCS 2710 has proven its workability and efficiency on the west coast of Taiwan during rough sea conditions. We hope to continue to capitalise on this advantage as we are confident that we will gain a strong foothold in this segment” stated Polin Chen, DFO’s Operations Director.
Damen sales director Asia Pacific, Michiel Hendrikx, said of the delivery, “It’s good to see these two vessels joining the Hung Hua Construction fleet. We see this repeat order as confirmation of the FCS designs’ capability to meet market requirements. We see strong potential for growth in the region, with numerous projects planned in Taiwanese and Asian waters in the coming years.”
To these ends, Damen has already started work on the construction of two further FSC 2710 vessels at its Damen Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam.
“This is the Damen approach to shipbuilding in action. We produce our standardised, proven vessels for stock – in the areas where our clients need them. This way, when the needs arise we can deliver the vessels in the fastest possible time.”