PTSC M&C's Landmark Journey to Conquer the European Offshore Wind Market

1. On September 12, 2026, at PTSC M&C's fabrication yard in Vung Tau, the load-out and handover ceremony for four offshore substations (OSS) under the Baltica 2 Project was celebrated with great fanfare. At this point, two substations are already voyaging across the sea to Europe, while the remaining two have been successfully loaded out onto transport barges at the PTSC port, fully prepared for sail-away. A critical milestone was concluded safely and strictly on schedule, culminating from persistent dedication and seamless collaboration among all project stakeholders throughout execution.

Mr. Ulrik Lange, Project Director for Baltica 2 at Ørsted, affirmed this as a major achievement. "Completing these substations on schedule is the fruit of disciplined planning, engineering expertise, meticulous coordination, and a profound shared commitment to accountability. PTSC and Semco Maritime have once again demonstrated their stature as trusted partners who deliver unwaveringly on schedule, quality, and the highest professional standards," Ørsted's representative shared.

Mr. Ulrik Lange, Baltica 2 Project Director, and Mr. To Ngoc Tu, Managing Director of PTSC M&C, at the load-out and handover ceremony for the four offshore substations (OSS) under the Baltica 2 Project.

Amid the vibrant flags, flowers, warm handshakes, and congratulatory remarks across the PTSC M&C fabrication yard, our thoughts returned to the intense scenes of early August, when the load-out campaign for all four OSS was in its most urgent phase. It was a contrasting portrait in the very same yard, with the very same faces, yet all gripped by relentless tension and utmost focus.

At that juncture, one of the four topsides had just been transferred onto its transport barge. The 3,500-tonne topside structure towered like a multi-deck steel edifice, securely lashed aboard the dedicated barge. Lustrous coated steel bulkheads encased equipment rooms, access corridors, stairways, piping networks, cable trays, and stacked structural tiers. Beneath this colossal structure, workers clad in protective gear appeared diminutive beside the monumental steelwork.

The atmosphere at the yard intensified as engineering crews proceeded with the load-out of the 500-tonne Module Support Frame (MSF). The massive structural assembly was hoisted and maneuvered on multi-axle heavy-haul transport vehicles, advancing steadily toward the quayside in synchronized precision.

The engineering crew executing the load-out of the 500-tonne Module Support Frame (MSF).

Transporting thousands of tonnes of steel on super-heavy modular transporters required strict alignment with the tide's "golden window." The onshore operations crew and the barge ballast crew maintained continuous coordination, pumping and discharging ballast water in real time to keep the barge deck flush with the quay wall elevation. Each incremental advance and reverse of the transporter assembly demanded millimeter-level synchronization across the engineering, load-monitoring, port logistics, and marine coordination teams.

2. Baltica 2 currently stands as one of the largest offshore wind developments in Europe, located in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Poland. Featuring 107 wind turbines with a total installed capacity of approximately 1.5 GW, the project is scheduled to enter commercial operations in the fourth quarter of 2027, delivering stable green electricity to roughly 2.4 million Polish households. This critical energy infrastructure project is co-developed by PGE Group and Ørsted, the Danish global frontrunner in offshore wind.

Within the project's technological chain, the transmission core resides in the network of four OSS units, which collect electricity generated by the turbine array and transmit it to the onshore grid. The EPC general contractor delivering the complete turnkey scope—spanning detailed engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning—is the consortium of Semco Maritime and PTSC Mechanical & Construction Co., Ltd. (PTSC M&C). As a subsidiary of PetroVietnam Technical Services Corporation (PTSC) and a member of Vietnam National Industry - Energy Group (PETROVIETNAM), PTSC M&C directly executed the onshore fabrication, architectural completion, and onshore commissioning in Vietnam.

The four Baltica 2 offshore substations during their final completion phase at the PTSC M&C fabrication yard.

We met Mr. Vu Van Luong, Baltica 2 Project Manager at PTSC M&C, during the transition phase of the yard: fabrication and assembly works were winding down to make way for testing, commissioning, and the sequential load-out campaign. PTSC M&C's fabrication yard, vibrant by nature, buzzed with unprecedented urgency to ensure every structure of Baltica 2 stood ready for its long voyage.

"Among all the projects you have undertaken, what made Baltica 2 particularly challenging?" we inquired.

"Every project has its distinct character," Mr. Luong remarked. "This project must satisfy exceptionally stringent technical specifications because the substations will be installed in Europe's Baltic Sea. The fabrication volume is massive, the schedule is aggressive, and most demanding of all, we had to execute four offshore substations concurrently."

Mr. Vu Van Luong, Project Manager (right), on the Baltica 2 construction site.

A formidable hurdle—and a first-of-its-kind challenge for PTSC M&C—lay in surface preparation and protective coating execution. This posed an intricate technical puzzle: executing fabrication under a tropical monsoon climate for offshore structures intended to endure the freezing, high-salinity marine environment of the Baltic Sea.

Spanning two full rainy seasons in Vung Tau, all four OSS units were completely enveloped in extensive scaffolding and heavy-duty weatherproofing tarpaulins, transforming the open fabrication yard into colossal enclosed temporary workshops. Within these micro-climatic enclosures, peak workforce mobilization reached over 1,000 personnel working continuously in confined quarters, with ambient relative humidity strictly maintained below the mandatory 50% threshold.

Explaining this rigorous requirement, Mr. Luong noted that excessive humidity rapidly oxidizes exposed steel surfaces. Once flash rust or oxidation occurs, coating adhesion and longevity are severely compromised. These structures carry a 5-year plus 2-year warranty and a design life of 35 years plus 2 years. Resolving any coating defect during the warranty period is exceptionally complex and costly once the assets are deployed offshore.

Another notable contrast lies in the operational philosophy: offshore oil and gas facilities typically host permanent on-board operational and maintenance personnel. In contrast, offshore wind substations operate largely unmanned and automated, with physical inspection and maintenance scheduled only periodically. Consequently, requirements for initial structural endurance, corrosion resistance, and fabrication finish are extraordinarily demanding.

The OSS units fully enclosed with comprehensive scaffolding and tarpaulins, transforming the fabrication yard into colossal temporary workshops.

Once the temporary enclosures were dismantled to reveal the majestic silhouettes of the substations, the project immediately entered a new critical path: completing equipment rooms for handover to testing and commissioning.

Unlike petroleum platforms dominated by high-pressure piping manifolds and open-deck mechanical skids, offshore wind substations feature a dense concentration of delicate Electrical and Instrumentation (E&I) systems. The mandatory execution protocol demanded full completion of architectural finishes—ceilings, floors, acoustic wall panels, coatings, airtight blast doors—supported by temporary HVAC and dehumidification systems to ensure pristine clean-room conditions before any equipment was brought inside.

"Fabricating an OSS can be compared to building a luxury home," Mr. Luong explained. "The room must achieve absolute readiness (room readiness) before equipment integration begins. Ceilings, partitions, flooring, doors, and paint must all be fully finished prior to interior fit-out." This requirement multiplied interface management complexities and imposed immense schedule pressure. Furthermore, the finish coat was highly vulnerable to scratches or accidental impacts during equipment transit and internal rigging. Because rooms were fully finished, even the slightest blemish was immediately conspicuous, compelling installation teams to enforce uncompromising surface protection and stringent industrial housekeeping.

This explains why visitors observing the substations towering across the yard could immediately witness an extraordinary standard of industrial housekeeping and precision finishing.

Inside an offshore substation, the construction team enforces stringent surface protection and rigorous industrial housekeeping controls.

3. Baltica 2 builds upon the invaluable foundation PTSC M&C accumulated through the successful delivery of the Hai Long 2 and Hai Long 3 OSS projects in Taiwan (China). Those projects served as vital springboards, enabling PTSC M&C to transfer technological expertise from offshore oil and gas engineering to renewable wind energy, master delicate E&I completion workflows, adapt to stringent international quality regimes, and navigate complex EPC interface management. The comprehensive project governance systems, supply chain networks, and fabrication know-how gained from Hai Long 2 and 3 established the confidence required for PTSC M&C to undertake a project of far greater scale for export to the European market.

The project's peak intensity spanned the second half of 2025 through early 2026. During this period, all four substations were executing concurrent critical scopes: structural erection, anti-corrosion coating, piping installation, HVAC ducting, electrical and automation integration, and pre-commissioning.

To maintain momentum across 16,000 tonnes of steel and thousands of multidisciplinary interfaces spanning structural, mechanical, piping, HVAC, and electrical-instrumentation domains across all four structures, PTSC M&C operated a dedicated project management apparatus with a multi-tiered scheduling architecture: from master control schedules down to 3-month rolling, 6-week look-ahead, and weekly operational targets. Favorable weather windows were maximized for outdoor operations. The yard mobilized an impressive workforce comprising more than 2,000 direct craftsmen, alongside approximately 200 dedicated engineers and project management professionals working in unison to defend the project milestones.

Workforce on the Baltica 2 project site.

Harmonious alignment across engineering, procurement, and fabrication empowered the Project Directorate to maintain complete mastery over the schedule, upholding safety and quality standards across every front and steering all four "hearts" of Baltica 2 toward timely handover. Testament to this dedication was the milestone of 5 million safe man-hours officially achieved in April 2026—a powerful testament to PTSC M&C's professional risk management and safety culture.

During the project handover signing ceremony attended by all stakeholders, Mr. Steen Brodbæk, President and CEO of Semco Maritime, expressed great satisfaction with the collective achievements of Semco Maritime and PTSC M&C. "In every project executed jointly by Semco Maritime and PTSC M&C, both parties have demonstrated exceptional commitment. With transparency in our partnership, we have delivered outstanding, high-quality projects that earn the full satisfaction of our clients."

"I firmly believe that the unwavering commitment of PTSC M&C's executive leadership, matched by Semco Maritime's dedication, represents one of the pivotal cornerstones underpinning our continued future success," the head of Semco Maritime affirmed.

Mr. Steen Brodbæk, President and CEO of Semco Maritime, expresses his satisfaction with the joint achievements delivered by Semco Maritime and PTSC M&C.

4. Standing amid PTSC M&C's fabrication yard in Vung Tau, watching these monumental engineering structures preparing to embark on their intercontinental voyage, one grasps the true significance of the Baltica 2 campaign. The project demonstrates PTSC M&C's comprehensive maturity in turnkey EPC project delivery—from engineering design and procurement management across global high-tech supply chains to precision fabrication, complex systems integration, and multidisciplinary interface coordination. Concurrently mastering testing, onshore commissioning, load-out, and sail-away operations for four substations to an exact schedule showcases the exceptional competence of Vietnamese engineers against the most rigorous standards in Europe.

Looking forward, PTSC M&C is strategically positioning itself to penetrate higher-value, technologically sophisticated segments, including offshore converter platforms for High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission and large-scale green energy infrastructure. The corporation continues to invest deeply in human capital, advanced technology, and project governance, relentlessly enhancing project execution capabilities and international partnerships with the vision of becoming a trusted global partner in the energy transition and sustainable offshore wind development.

The energy "hearts" of Baltica 2 depart PTSC port one after another, embarking on their journey across the sea to the Baltic.

The success of Baltica 2 solidifies PTSC's credentials in offshore wind technical services and broadens PETROVIETNAM's footprint in the international energy engineering arena. Through an EPC consortium with an established international contractor, world-class structures fabricated and completed in Vietnam have integrated seamlessly into Europe's offshore wind grid. This represents both corporate market expansion and concrete proof that Vietnamese industrial capabilities are fully primed to deliver mega-scale renewable energy infrastructure worldwide.

Today, the coastal sunshine of Vung Tau illuminates these energy "hearts" as they embark on their voyage to the world. Baltica 2's journey to the Baltic Sea serves as a compelling passport of competence for PTSC M&C on the global energy map, anchoring the confidence of international developers and unlocking decisive competitive advantages in utility-scale offshore wind tenders. It stands as a steadfast launchpad for the enterprise to reach greater heights, proudly affirming the stature of a Vietnamese general contractor in the global renewable energy value chain.