Vallianz Holdings has been awarded a contract to design and construct three research vessels for the Fisheries Research Institute (FRI) of Taiwan on Oct 25.
FRI is a subsidiary of Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan which manages the agricultural, forestry, fishery, animal husbandry, and food affairs in Taiwan.
It owns and operates a fleet of research vessels to carry out the study of marine fisheries in Taiwan waters.
The contract entails the design and construction of two units of 27-metre research vessels and one unit of a 60-metre research vessel.
The group will build these vessels at its shipyard in Batam, Indonesia. The shipyard is operated by Vallianz’s wholly-owned subsidiary PT. United SIndo Perkasa.
The research vessels will be constructed based on designs by Khiam Chuan Marine Pte Ltd, a consultancy firm that specialises in ship design services with extensive experience in Taiwan’s marine vessel market.
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The 27-metre vessels are slated to be delivered during the 4Q2023, while the 60-metre vessel will be delivered during the 2H2024.
“We are pleased to be awarded this contract from FRI, which underscores the group’s efforts to make further inroads into Taiwan’s shipbuilding market. Indeed, the FRI contract follows on the heels of a tugboat newbuild project that we secured recently with a Taiwan state-owned company,” says Ling Yong Wah, CEO of Vallianz.
“We are encouraged to see the group gaining traction in new markets and increasing its international presence as PT USP continues to grow its customer portfolio and strengthen its shipbuilding capabilities,” Ling continues.
“PT USP is building its track record in the construction of harbour tugs and also expanding its fabrication capabilities as a subcontractor of topside steel structure work for FPSO. We believe the FRI contract will provide an opportunity for us to further enhance the breadth of our shipbuilding capabilities to include specialised research vessels.”
Shares in Vallianz closed flat at 5.9 cents on Oct 25.