VESSEL REVIEW | Volta – Electric maintenance workboat to be deployed in East Netherlands' inland waters

Groeneveldt Marine Construction in the Netherlands recently handed over a new workboat to local marine projects company Martens en Van Oord (MVO).

The fully electric workboat has been named Volta, and MVO said she can facilitate emission-free operations for an entire day. According to the owner, the operation of the new vessel will result in work being carried out with approximately 50 per cent fewer CO₂ emissions compared to current fuel consumption.

The vessel also generates only minimal noise, making her ideal for deployment near residential areas or in environmentally sensitive waters.

Secondary power supply function

Volta will be used for small-scale dredging on the Upper Rhine and Waal Rivers and the Meuse-Waal Canal as well as maintenance of groynes and shorelines. She may even be operated as a floating power bank for dredgers equipped with electric cranes but are lacking in batteries or generators.

The newbuild has a length of 33.65 metres (110.4 feet), a beam of 7.8 metres (25 feet), a depth of 1.85 metres (6.07 feet), and a capacity of approximately 200 tons, typically two eight-metre (26-foot) vehicles or an equivalent total volume of assorted payloads.

The wheelhouse is placed near the stern but is slightly elevated to provide the helm operator with unobstructed all-round visibility even when the vessel is transporting cargo.

Propulsion configured for operation in narrow inland waters

A 2,200kWh battery pack supplies power to two Hydromaster 200kW thrusters as well as the vessel’s other onboard systems.

A 100kW bow thruster allows the workboat to manoeuvre safely in narrow inland waters as well as to berth and unberth.

The main deck features a crane with a lifting capacity of 3.5 tons and a reach of 10 metres (30 feet).

Volta’s hull was built by Pattje Shipbuilders while Groeneveldt Marine Construction was responsible for the final outfitting as well as the design work.

The vessel has already deployed to support a number of projects in the Netherlands, including maintenance of inland waterways in the eastern provinces in collaboration with local engineering specialist Heijmans and waterway authority Rijkswaterstaat. These projects have also involved the nine-metre Gelderland, an earlier hybrid survey boat also being operated by MVO.