On Feb. 22, NARLabs' Taiwan Ocean Research Institute (TORI) and Fugro IOVTEC Co., Ltd. signed a memorandum of cooperation to promote the development of domestic marine research and offshore wind power, as well as to jointly invest in the training of local crews to carry out marine research and offshore wind power projects.

Marine research both demonstrates national power and is also the basis for providing important information on the current state of the ocean and the development of national marine resources. With the long-term support of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) for basic and applied research in marine science, TORI maintains the research vessel Legend, which supports national marine-related interdisciplinary research and plays a leading role in protecting Taiwan's oceans.

Fugro IOVTEC Co., Ltd. is a joint venture between Fugro, a Dutch multinational company, and IVOTEC Co., Ltd. in Taiwan. It carries out many types of hydrographic investigations, geotechnical and geophysical surveys, submarine surveys and investigations, and personnel transportation services. In addition, Fugro IOVTEC has abundant manpower and resources to operate large fleets and frequently works with local schools and organizations that teach maritime skills to set up special training classes.

In the future, through cooperation with Fugro IOVTEC, TORI will invest its capabilities in marine exploration to assist the development of Taiwan's offshore wind industry. Both parties will also conduct exchanges and work together on enhancing the quality of manpower and maintenance crews on domestic exploration vessels, in the hope of contributing to the training of Taiwan's research vessel crews and upgrading Taiwan's marine research and exploration capabilities.