Industry News
Volvo Penta to create world’s first retrofitted electric crew transfer vessel
The diesel engines of a crew transfer vessel (CTV) will be replaced with a zero-emissions Volvo Penta solution to create what the company says will be the world’s first retrofitted electric crew transfer vessel (E-CTV).
The vessel is being developed for sea transportation and crew transit service operator Tidal Transit. The cost of the retrofit is estimated at £8m (US$10m) with £6.3m (US$7.87m) coming from the Zero Emissions Vessel and Infrastructure (ZEVI) program. The program is part of the UK government’s plan (via its Department for Transport and Innovate UK innovation agency) to develop, deploy and operate clean maritime solutions.
Ricardo expands UK hydrogen test facility
Strategic, environmental and engineering consultancy Ricardo has invested in the conversion of an existing building on-site at its £2.5m (US$3.13m) hydrogen test facility at its UK headquarters in Shoreham-by-Sea.
The investment is intended to facilitate the development of testing for large-scale marine engines. According to the company, the conversion will deliver state-of-the-art facilities to support Ricardo’s development of hydrogen and fuel cell services and solutions for global customers.
£2.5m hydrogen test facility
In January 2021, Ricardo announced that it had opened its £2.5m (US$3.13m) hydrogen test facility at its UK headquarters in Shoreham-by-Sea.
Jason Oms O’Donnell, managing director of automotive and industrial at Ricardo, said, “Hydrogen offers a real alternative to supporting decarbonization in several industries, including maritime, commercial vehicles, off-highway and aerospace where the combination of high-value assets, the longevity of fleets and the importance of safe implementation of new technology means that these sectors can be challenging to decarbonize.
Continue reading Ricardo expands UK hydrogen test facility at Electric Hybrid Marine Technology.
The world’s leading electric and hybrid marine technology trade fair opens in six weeks!
The world’s leading exhibition and conference for maritime electrification, decarbonization and GHG reduction solutions is returning to Amsterdam in June 2024!
Electric & Hybrid Marine Expo Europe
Exhibitors at the free-to-attend Electric & Hybrid Marine Expo Europe will showcase new electric and hybrid marine transportation and propulsion solutions, shore charging equipment and efficient emerging technologies to help realize zero-emission shipping and net zero. Visitors will be able to browse and ask in-depth questions to the experts on hand about the line-up of top technologies for the electrification and hybridization of workboats, ferries, superyachts and other marine vessels, plus port and harbor infrastructure.
Vard completes testing offshore charging solution
Vard, Maritime CleanTech and Rem Offshore have completed the testing of an offshore charging connection solution for zero-emission ships in the wind industry.
The prototyping phase of the project was officially launched in February 2023. Since then, charging tests have been conducted in port and offshore. Charging tests have been done in port with high-voltage charging of the ship’s batteries. Testing has also been done on the Ocean Charger offshore connection solution and the partners have demonstrated that the cable can be connected and disconnected under certain sea conditions.
By connecting vessels to the power grid in the wind farm and charging batteries regularly, the operational availability of emission-free vessel operations will be secured.
Bibby Marine and Gondan to build the world’s first electric commissioning service operation vessel
Bibby Marine has signed a shipbuilding contract to build what it states will be the world’s first truly zero-emission, electric commissioning service operation vessel (eCSOV), with shipbuilder Gondan.
Electric commissioning service operation vessel
The eCSOV will be built in Gondan’s Asturias shipyard in Spain and is scheduled to be delivered in 2026. The eCSOV, which has been designed in collaboration with UK-based ship designers Longitude, will feature a battery system, complemented by dual-fuel methanol engines for emission-free operations. The vessel will be equipped with mission equipment, a spacious insulated warehouse and climate-controlled electrical store.
To facilitate zero-emission operations, the eCSOV will feature high-voltage offshore charging facilities for rapid recharging.
UK and Japan host workshop to accelerate maritime autonomy
UK-based Lloyd’s Register (LR) and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) have hosted a four-day workshop in Japan to accelerate the development of an assurance framework for maritime autonomy and instigate the development of appropriate regional and international regulations.
Maritime autonomy assurance framework
The workshop involved representatives from the Japan Maritime Bureau, Japan Coast Guard, universities, research institutes and Japanese maritime industry representatives, including NYK, MOL and K LINE, from the DFFAS+ Project (an initiative funded by The Nippon Foundation) for the design of future fully autonomous ships.
Discussions aimed to increase UK and Japanese regulators’ understanding of the potential of autonomy in maritime, build an assurance framework for its safe and reliable introduction and develop a pathway to exploit the opportunities autonomy affords.
Corvus Energy to supply energy storage systems for net zero subsea construction vessel
Haf Power Solutions (HPS) has selected Corvus Energy to supply energy storage systems (ESS) for the energy subsea construction vessel (ESCV) to be built for shipowner Rem Offshore.
The Corvus Energy-supplied ESS is scheduled for delivery during the first half of 2026 and the vessel will go in into operation in the second half of the same year. The contract also includes an option for equipment deliveries for a second vessel.
The new ESCV is of ST-245 design and will reportedly be the first vessel to perform heavy construction work in both offshore wind and subsea with net zero emissions.
Electric & Hybrid Marine Awards 2024: Shortlist revealed!
With less than two months to go until Electric & Hybrid Marine Expo Europe 2024 gets underway in Amsterdam, the shortlisted nominations for this year’s Electric & Hybrid Marine Awards have been revealed. Following the expansion of the categories in 2023, the 2024 awards retain a strong focus on environmentally conscious technologies and initiatives, as well as new advances in charging, hydrogen and shoreside technologies.
The awards are decided by the votes of a panel of expert journalists and consultants from the marine industry. The winners will be announced during the expo at the exhibitor hall party on June 18.