MANILA — A Philippines-specific strategy for offshore wind development is essential to capturing long-term local jobs and economic value, according to Tomohisa Makino, Head of Wind Power Project Team (B) under the Wind Power Unit at Japanese shipping giant Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL).
Speaking during The Manila Times Maritime and Offshore Wind Forum held at the Citadines Bay City Manila on August 27, Makino addressed industry stakeholders regarding the country's estimated 178-gigawatt offshore wind technical potential—comprising 18 GW fixed-bottom and 160 GW floating—emphasizing that realizing this ambition requires a holistic approach beyond turbines, noting, "Offshore wind is not built with turbines alone; it is built with ships, ports, human capital and partnerships." Because unique local conditions like deep waters, typhoons, inter-island logistics, and grid constraints favor floating wind, MOL urged customized solutions over standard European models. Prolonged reliance on foreign contractors raises costs and schedule risks, making dedicated port facilities—such as specialized 1-gigawatt floating project layouts requiring roughly 15 to 20 hectares of laydown yard, 10 to 12 hectares of wet storage, 500 meters of quay, and 12 to 20 meters of water depth—and diverse vessel fleets critical.
Warning that "it would be a mistake to focus only on WTIVs [wind turbine installation vessels] if we think about the Philippine future fleet," Makino recommended a four-phase localization roadmap starting with foreign-led early execution, expanding domestic port and support services, scaling into operations-and-maintenance (O&M) fabrication, and ultimately competing regionally across Asia-Pacific.
Grounding this strategy in MOL's global footprint of operating over 900 vessels and employing 6,500 Filipino seafarers (64% of its crew pool), Makino concluded, "International capability can help launch the first project, but Philippine maritime capability will determine how much long-term value will remain in this country."
