Dajin Picks Ulstein Design for Offshore Installation Vessel

Dajin Heavy Industry has selected Ulstein's ULSTEIN HX122 design for an offshore installation vessel to expand its activities into offshore installation. The vessel is designed by Ulstein Design & Solutions in the Netherlands and is intended to install monopiles, jacket foundations, and offshore substations, as well as support oil and gas construction and decommissioning work. This selection expands Dajin's capabilities beyond manufacturing, logistics, and transportation to include installation services for offshore wind.
The ULSTEIN HX122 incorporates features like a large working deck, lifting capabilities, dynamic positioning, and Ulstein's U-STERN and X-BOW hull solutions. The U-STERN configuration allows for longitudinal storage of monopiles along the vessel’s centerline at the stern, facilitating installation while heading into prevailing seas. When combined with the X-BOW, the design aims to improve vessel motions and increase the weather window for offshore installation work.
Dajin Vice President Feng Qi stated that the ULSTEIN HX122 with U-STERN represents a strategic layout to close the final link in offshore wind foundation delivery, aiming to shift from separate coordination of manufacturing, transportation, and installation to Dajin's one-stop delivery service for large-scale offshore wind development. Ulstein’s Managing Director Edwin van Leeuwen noted that the combination of Dajin's industrial capabilities and Ulstein's design experience provides a strong foundation for the project.

* Dajin Heavy Industry selected Ulstein's ULSTEIN HX122 design.
* The vessel is for offshore installation.
* The vessel is capable of installing future 4XL monopiles.
* The vessel expands offshore wind foundation supplier activities into offshore installation.
* The vessel will install monopiles, jacket foundations, and offshore substations.
* The vessel can support oil and gas construction and decommissioning work.
* The vessel features a large working deck, lifting capabilities, and dynamic positioning.
* The design includes Ulstein's U-STERN hull configuration for longitudinal storage of monopiles at the stern.
* The design incorporates the X-BOW hull solution to improve vessel motions and increase the weather window.
* Feng Qi stated that installation capacity is the core bottleneck for offshore wind project delivery.

The narrative positions a shift in the offshore wind supply chain from fragmented coordination (manufacturing, transport, installation) toward integrated, end-to-end service delivery via Dajin and Ulstein's vessel design. The strategic importance of the ULSTEIN HX122 with U-STERN suggests that the physical capacity for installation is now recognized as the critical constraint in realizing offshore wind development phases. This move implies that future growth in offshore wind projects hinges less on discrete supply chain elements and more on integrated logistical and installation platforms.
The interplay between the vessel design features (U-STERN/X-BOW) and Dajin’s industrial capabilities reveals a pattern of combining specialized engineering with heavy industry execution to solve a bottleneck. The focus on multi-functional platforms suggests a structural necessity for platforms that reduce interface friction between traditionally separate industries. The implicit assumption is that integrating installation expertise directly into the supply chain structure yields superior project delivery outcomes.
What are the implications when specialization meets integration? If this model succeeds, it establishes a precedent where vessel design and heavy industry execution become synergistic in bottleneck resolution, potentially redefining the competitive advantage in offshore energy infrastructure beyond component manufacturing. What are the structural requirements for maintaining this synergy as offshore wind technology evolves toward larger and more complex foundation types?