Incheon has launched a project to develop Incheon New Port into a key hub for the offshore wind maintenance, repair and overhaul industry.
The move follows the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries' decision to incorporate a plan for an offshore wind support berth at Incheon New Port into the national port master plan, establishing the regulatory foundation for the project.
The city said Monday that it will accelerate development strategy planning and commercialization work after the ministry's revised Fourth Port Master Plan included a provision to develop the eastern site of Phase 1-2 of Incheon New Port as an offshore wind support berth.
The project is one of the key campaign pledges of the current city administration, with the goal of positioning Incheon not merely as an offshore wind generation zone but as a center for the maintenance, repair and overhaul industry.
To that end, the city is conducting a feasibility study on commercializing the support berth while surveying developers and engineering, procurement and construction firms on their interest in participating and assessing market demand.
Based on the findings, the city plans to finalize the project's scale, operational model and investment attraction strategy.
The city also plans to confirm a commercialization plan by the end of this year, establish a special purpose company and pursue the project as a non-administrative port development financed through private investment. Construction of the support berth is set to be completed by 2032.
Once completed, the support berth will operate as more than a simple vessel berthing facility — it will serve as an integrated platform concentrating the offshore wind maintenance and repair industry.
The complex will include an integrated control center, a safety training center, materials warehouses, parts replacement and maintenance facilities, drone- and robot-based inspection systems, and a research and demonstration function for AI-based predictive diagnostics technology.
The city expects the project to attract offshore wind-related companies, develop specialized talent and create quality jobs, while building a new growth ecosystem linking the port, energy, manufacturing and logistics industries.
"The inclusion in the national port plan is an important milestone for Incheon to emerge as the central city for the offshore wind maintenance and repair industry," Incheon Mayor Park Chan-dae said. "We will complete the support berth without delay, concentrate related companies there and develop it into a key hub leading the future energy industry, creating a new growth engine for the local economy."
gilbert@heraldcorp.com
