Marco Polo Marine to Build High-Spec Research Vessel for Taiwan

Singapore’s Marco Polo Marine Group has been awarded $152 million contract to build a high-spec research vessel for Taiwan’s National Academy of Marine Research (NAMR), under the Ocean Affairs Council. The tender was secured by the Group’s subsidiary Marco Polo Shipyard based in Batam, Indonesia. The order involves design and construction of a 4,000 gross ton (GT) vessel, marking the largest contract win since the shipyard opened in 1991.

The deal highlights the shipyard’s growing capabilities in construction of specialized vessels. In the past few years, the yard has seen a growing order-book for commissioning service operation vessels (COSVs) and crew transfer vessels (CTVs). Some of these orders have come from the yard’s sister company based in Taiwan called PKR Offshore.

Marco Polo Marine said it would deliver the oceanographic research vessel (ORV) order in four years, with Engineering and commercial support provided from Singapore. The vessel is designed by the Norwegian naval architecture firm Skipteknisk. In addition, the vessel will be built to dual class standards of CR and ABS.

“We are grateful for the support provided by Enterprise Singapore in facilitating this milestone. This project positions us firmly within the marine research and blue economy sectors, adding a valuable dimension to our portfolio alongside our established offshore wind vessel operations,” said Sean Lee, CEO of Marco Polo Marine.

The company added that the ORV project financing will come from the Group’s internal cash flows. The vessel will be fitted with diesel-electric propulsion with twin azimuth thrusters, along with bow and retractable thrusters. Further, the ORV will be equipped with a Battery Storage System and waste heat recovery system, thus achieving green and sustainability standards.

Other features to be fitted in the vessel include multibeam sonar systems, conductivity, temperature and depth (CTD) sensors, as well as remotely operated vehicle(ROV). These will help to support a wide-range of scientific missions.

Notably, this ORV order breaks Taiwan’s trend of building its research vessels locally. The country’s last three research vessels to be delivered were built by the local yard CSBC Corp.