Dong Fang Offshore takes delivery of SOV Orient Inspirer for Vestas in Taiwan
The Vard-built vessel arrived two months early and starts a 12-year charter on 1 November
Taiwan's Dong Fang Offshore (DFO) has taken delivery of its first newbuild service operation vessel, Orient Inspirer, from Vard's yard at Vung Tau in Vietnam. The ship was handed over on 16 September, two months ahead of the original schedule, and was named at the yard the same day by her godmother, Hang-Chuan Chen, chief financial officer of Hung Hua Construction.
Orient Inspirer, Vard's yard number 987, is due in Taiwan by the end of September and will be registered under the Taiwanese flag, crewed by DFO's Taiwanese and international seafarers. She starts a 12-year charter with Vestas on 1 November, supporting operation and maintenance at the 600 MW Changfang Xidao and 300 MW Zhong Neng offshore wind farms off Changhua County. Both farms were completed in 2024 and use Vestas V174-9.5 MW turbines, and DFO has supported them since construction.
The 102.5-metre vessel is a VARD 4 39 design, developed by DFO with Vard for the conditions of the Taiwan Strait. Her hull length, bow form and propulsion were chosen to keep her workable in its long swell and strong currents. She has 90 cabins for 120 people, a fully electric motion-compensated gangway, a 7-tonne 3D motion-compensated crane, DP2 station keeping, a 1,240 kWh battery hybrid power plant and Voith electric propulsion with active roll stabilisation.
DFO said the early delivery gives it more time for crew familiarisation, training and coordination with the customer before the charter begins. "She has been designed for Taiwan," said chief executive Polin Chen.
She is the first of three SOVs of the class ordered from Vard, all committed to long-term charters in Taiwan. DFO ordered two in May 2024 and declared the third in May 2025 as an option under an April 2025 contract for an offshore subsea construction vessel. All other vessels in its building programme already have operating contracts.
The company's board has now approved another vessel at Vard, at a construction cost of between $76m and $86m. It will be similar in type to an SOV but of a different design from the first three, aimed at potential international projects.
DFO was founded in 2019 as a dedicated owner and operator of wind farm construction and support vessels in Asia-Pacific. It is listed in Taipei, employs more than 400 people, and describes itself as the largest non-government-linked marine contractor in Taiwan.
This story is part of the Maritime Briefing of 26 September 2026.
