Using the offshore supply vessel 'Viking Lady' as a full-scale "test laboratory", DNV GL's strategic research and innovation department is researching how to significantly improve the safety and efficiency of high-risk operations.
At a summit held in Athens, Greece, DNV GL's head of strategic research and innovation in Greece, Dr Nikolaos Kakalis, presented the vessel's specific battery hybrid propulsion system to the Greek shipping industry.
The project's results stem from the FellowSHIP III research and development project between DNV GL and Eidesvik Offshore and co-funded by the Research Council of Norway.
The 'Viking Lady' uses a conventional diesel-electric propulsion system comprising four dual-fuel engines driving five thrusters for propulsion and manoeuvring/dynamic positioning (DP).
In this project, a lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 450kWh was added – enabling the vessel to use hybrid-electric propulsion. The battery acts as an energy buffer that is able to cover the intense load variations that can occur, especially in DP and standby operations.
This effectively increases the propulsion system's available power and redundancy – thereby increasing the level of safety in high-risk operations. This means that the gensets can operate with a relatively constant load and in an optimal way – making operations safer and more energy-efficient.
The battery hybrid installation has been tested in sea trials, which showed that a 15 per cent reduction in fuel consumption, 25 per cent reduction in NOx emissions and 30 per cent reduction in GHG emissions can be realised in practice, especially for DP operations.
"Considering that the global fleet of offshore supply vessels of relevant sizes is over 4,000, such technologies have the potential to make an impact when it comes to improving sustainability," Dr Kakalis noted.