Objectives
As offshore wind accelerates across Southeast Asia, technology-driven players face a dual challenge: navigating complex local markets while maintaining operational speed and compliance. Akrocean is a marine renewable energy company based in France that offers environmental data collected at sea as a service. The company would like to extend its offshore monitoring and Floating LiDAR solutions. Thus, they partnered with Source of Asia to support its market entry strategies in Vietnam and South Korea.
Through a combination of in-depth market intelligence, local team deployment, and partner sourcing, SOA enabled Akrocean to enter both markets with clarity, confidence, and execution readiness—laying the foundation for long-term regional growth in the offshore wind sector.
Project Background
Akrocean owns and operates a fleet of modular self-powered buoys that can power and house a wide variety of environmental and metocean sensors. The company is a leading provider of offshore monitoring services, specializing in Floating LiDAR platforms and ocean data solutions for renewable energy projects. Its technologies support critical project phases, from early wind resource assessment to bankable data generation for offshore wind developments.
As offshore wind projects increasingly move into deeper waters and emerging markets, Akrocean identified Southeast and East Asia as priority regions for expansion, driven by strong wind resources, growing electricity demand, and ambitious national energy transition targets.
Akrocean focused on four core objectives:
- Assess offshore wind market potential and regulatory readiness in Vietnam.
- Identify and qualify reliable local partners across the offshore wind ecosystem.
- Establish an immediate operational presence without delaying market entry.
- Secure trusted maritime service providers in South Korea for buoy installation and maintenance.
- The overarching goal was to reduce market entry risk while maintaining speed, compliance, and operational control.
The Challenges
To expand its footprint across Southeast and East Asia, Akrocean faced strategic hurdles:
| Entering Vietnam’s offshore wind market | Securing operational partners in South Korea |
| Vietnam represents one of Southeast Asia’s most promising offshore wind markets, but it also presents structural challenges | In South Korea, the challenge was more operational in nature |
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For Akrocean, long-term development and success required both market intelligence and immediate operational execution.
Our Solutions
Source of Asia implemented an integrated, country-specific strategy combining research, execution, and risk management.
Market Expansion Strategy – Vietnam
SOA conducted a comprehensive offshore wind market study tailored to Akrocean’s technical scope:
- Delivered a 45-page market analysis covering offshore wind development pipelines, Floating LiDAR use cases, and regulatory frameworks.
- Conducted expert interviews and sector data analysis.
- Engaged directly with the ecosystem through specialized industry events.
- Identified and mapped 11 relevant partners across the offshore wind value chain
This provided Akrocean with a clear, evidence-based view of market opportunities and entry pathways.
Wage Hosting (EOR) and Local Operations – Vietnam
To enable immediate market presence, the SOA team supported Akrocean with full operational deployment:
- Recruitment and onboarding of local employees.
- Wage hosting (Employer of Record) services ensure full labor law compliance.
- Workspace setup and daily operations coordination.
- Expat support, HR administration, and local marketing coordination.
This approach allowed Akrocean to operate locally from day one, without waiting for entity registration, while maintaining full compliance and cost visibility.
Explore more of the differences between Employer of Record (EOR) and the Legal Entity Setup.
Partner Sourcing – South Korea
For the Korean market, SOA team designed and executed a locally adapted sourcing mission:
- Identification of reputable maritime service providers.
- Capability, pricing, and operational risk assessments.
- Facilitation of on-site visits and technical discussions.
- Support in proposal evaluation and partner selection.
The result was a shortlist of qualified partners ready to support offshore deployment with confidence.
How Akrocean expanded into Vietnam and South Korea’s offshore wind markets with market intelligence, EOR setup, and partner sourcing support from Source of Asia.
The Results
SOA’s partnership provided measurable results, allowing Akrocean to enter these markets with confidence:
Strategic clarity
- 45-page offshore wind and Floating LiDAR market analysis for Vietnam.
- 11 relevant partners identified and assessed.
Operational readiness
- Local team of 4 employees successfully established in Vietnam via wage hosting.
- Fully operational local setup supporting Southeast Asia market development.
Risk reduction and deployment readiness
- Qualified and assessed technical partners identified in South Korea.
- Full market visibility enabling confident operational planning.
Together, these results positioned Akrocean to scale its offshore wind activities in Asia with speed, control, and reduced execution risk.
Conclusion
By combining deep market intelligence with hands-on operational support, Source of Asia enabled Akrocean to move beyond market exploration and into execution. The partnership transformed complex regulatory environments and fragmented ecosystems into structured, actionable growth pathways.
For technology-driven renewable energy players, success in Asia depends not only on innovation but on trusted local execution. This case demonstrates how an integrated market entry and operations strategy can unlock long-term value in high-growth offshore wind markets.
At Source of Asia, we have the local expertise to drive your Sourcing & Supply Chain, Market Entry, and HR projects across ASEAN and South Korea.
Contact us today at hello@sourceofasia.com for an evidence-based market entry strategy!
FAQs
Southeast Asia, particularly Vietnam and the Philippines, offers long coastlines and ideal wind speeds (often exceeding $7-8m/s$ at 100m height). Furthermore, government Net Zero commitments are creating favorable legal frameworks and attractive investment incentives for foreign enterprises.
The main challenges include:
- Regulatory frameworks: Licensing processes can be complex and are still evolving (e.g., PDP8 in Vietnam).
- Infrastructure: National grids may require upgrades to keep pace with large-scale projects.
Technical data: There is often a lack of long-term, accurate hydrographic and wind measurement data.
Here are some SOA tips for you to look for the right partners in this industry:
- Proven maritime logistics capabilities (vessels and installation equipment).
- Deep understanding of local regulations and strong institutional relationships.
- Experience in Operations and Maintenance (O&M) within Southeast Asian waters.
- Apply Due Diligence (DD) services to ensure your supply chain is optimized from day one.
Setting up a legal entity can be time-consuming. The most efficient alternative is using Wage Hosting (EOR) services. This allows you to:
- Hire local talent immediately without waiting for company registration.
- Ensure full compliance with local labor laws, taxes, and insurance.
- Focus on technical expertise while SOA handles all administrative and HR burdens.
Learn more about EOR services with us!
