The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) will class two offshore supply vessels (OSV) being retrofitted with a battery/converter system by Harvey Gulf International Marine, New Orleans.
The 302'x64' Harvey Energy will become the first ABS-classed dual fuel and battery vessel and the first U.S.-flag OSV equipped with a battery/converter system, according to ABS officials.
The 292'x65.6' Harvey Supporter will become the second vessel in the Harvey Gulf fleet to have a battery power system.
The battery installation, which is expected to achieve the ABS class notation ESS-LiBATTERY, will significantly enhance the efficiency and environmental performance of the vessel.
“ABS is a leader in hybrid projects in the offshore sector and we are proud to be involved in another project driving the sustainable development of the industry,” Matt Tremblay, ABS senior vice president, global offshore, said in a statement announcing the selection. “The project will effectively create tri-fueled vessels with significant potential to reduce fuel consumption and emissions.”
The installation of a 1,450-kW battery hybrid solution is anticipated to reduce the Harvey Energy’s exhaust emissions, fuel consumption, and noise level. The overall fuel cost savings are expected to be in the range of 10% to 20%, according to Harvey Gulf. The battery capacity will be sufficient to sail in and out of harbor on electric power with fewer engines running, while also supplementing hotel load electricity when docked, which would reduce noise and pollution levels in the harbor area. In addition, the ability to operate on battery power will assist redundancy during critical dynamic positioning (DP) operations at the offshore platform.
“We chose ABS due to its significant experience in LNG and dual fuel energy,” said Shane Guidry, chairman and CEO of Harvey Gulf. “We are pleased to add them to our project team, which is committed to delivering the best emissions and fuel savings technologies to our customers, our country and our industry.”
