Wind turbine installation ship sets sail from Tongyeong

Tamra offshore wind farm off the coast of Jeju Island [DOOSAN CORPORATION]

Korea has developed its first wind turbine installation vessel, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Tuesday.

Named the Hyundai Frontier, the 130-billion-won ($102.1-million) vessel had been under development by Hyundai Engineering & Steel Industries since 2018, supported by 11.6 billion won in subsidies from the government.

The offshore wind turbine installation vessel will shorten the installation time of offshore wind turbines by more than 50 percent as wind turbines so far have been installed using two separate vessels, a cargo barge and an installation barge.

The latest vessel will be deployed to install offshore wind turbines at the Jeju Hallim wind farm by September.

The sail-off ceremony was held Tuesday at HSG Sungdong Shipbuilding’s shipyard in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]