13 minute read
Wasted chance
UK MISSING OUT ON ‘MASSIVE OPPORTUNITY’
By ignoring the potential of tidal energy, the UK is missing an open goal, say stakeholders in the sector
The UK government is missing out on a ‘massive opportunity’ to solve an energy crisis that is seeing electric and gas bills more than doubling across the country, say stakeholders in the tidal energy sector.
The British Hydropower Association says the government has ‘all but ignored’ the potential of tidal range and run-ofriver technology in its British Energy Security Strategy, which was published on April 6.
In it, investment for nuclear, wind, solar, oil and gas is announced – but tidal energy does not get a single mention.
In an article first published for the Maritime Foundation and recently updated for Maritime Journal (read the full article here), Rear Admiral Rob Stevens lays out the case for tidal energy’s capacity to address energy shortages in a green, reliable and cheap way.
Stevens is the chairman of Perpetuus Tidal Energy Centre (PTEC), a 30MW commercial tidal stream project just off the south coast of the Isle of Wight.
The project, which has received all the necessary planning consents, should begin operating in 2025, generating enough electricity to power thousands of homes, he says.
“The tidal streams around our coast have the potential to provide a continuous source of green energy to the UK,” he says. “The realisation of that power source would also fulfil an immediate strategic need to boost our indigenous supply of electricity as we shift away from fossil fuels in the run into Net Zero by 2050.
“British tidal turbine companies such as Simec-Atlantis, Orbital Marine Power, Nova Innovation, QED Naval, HydroWing, Sustainable Marine Energy and others have between them invested over £500 million (€650 million) in developing operational tidal turbines. This investment, along with government innovation grants, sees them poised to start full commercial production with their now-proven tidal turbines, the most capable in the world.”
Stevens says the engineering potential is vast, with the necessary manufacture and installation of turbines, underwater structures, moorings and power cables breathing new life into post-industrial ports.
According to an OREC (Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult) study, UK tidal stream industry could generate a cumulative benefit to the UK by 2030 of £1.4bn and support a total of almost 4,000 jobs.
The Danish example
A good example of how such a policy could deliver for the UK is the Danish government investment in wind energy; the £690 million (€830 million) they invested in wind energy between 1980 and 2000 had by 2014 generated a turnover of £10.6 billion (€12.7 billion) with exports of £6.4 billion, and the creation of 29,000 jobs. By 2016 Denmark’s wind energy exports were higher in value than the UK’s defence industry exports.
The British companies are similarly well positioned to capture a significant proportion of the global market share for tidal energy (estimated to be £76b by 2050). The cost reductions they have eked out of their small-scale developmental deployments have added a granularity to the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult (OREC) study of 2018, which predicted that at-scale turbine deployments would make tidal cost competitive by 2030.
The next step could place Britain at the forefront of the tidal industry, presenting an industrial opportunity similar to that of the offshore oil industry in the 1970s and wind in 2000s.
“The government’s policy trumpets its determination to achieve its energy objectives by reducing reliance on fossil fuels and imported energy – and yet totally disregards the UK’s most reliable and predictable energy sources,” says the UK Hydropower Association.
“Within three to seven years the seven tidal schemes currently being planned would deliver more than 10GW of generation capacity predictably and reliably – and some 10 years before any of the planned nuclear plants will be in operation.
“Wind and solar energy can do much of the heavy lifting to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, but the supply of energy from these sources is intermittent. What the country needs is a baseload to fill any generation gaps and it needs it soon.”
8 PTEC tidal fl ows
- static
8 The AR500 Tidal
Turbine sitting on the deck awaiting installation 2
FIRST ‘GREEN SHIP’ PREPARES TO SET SAIL FOR GERMANY
The fi rst of two ‘Green-Ships’ for Baltic Sea ferry line TT-Line has been delivered, ready for its voyage to Travemünde in Germany
Both ships were designed Danish fi rm OSK-ShipTech and built at the CMI Shipyard in Nanjing, China.
The first, Nils Holgersson, will be the first ferry in the southern Baltic Sea, according to TT-Line, which celebrates its 60th birthday this year, to be dual fuelled with liquefied natural gas. Her sister ship, Peter Pan, has also been launched and is expected to be delivered in October.
The ships, each 230m x 31m, will carry up to 800 passengers and 4,500 lanemetres of freight on four decks across the Baltic sea between Sweden (Trelleborg) and Travemünde.
“Sustainability is the fundamental topic of the future,” said TT-Line managing director Bernhard Termühlen. “We want to take on these challenges and bring together economy and ecology – also and especially in shipping.”
While able to run on LNG, the ships also use diesel and can be considered dual fuelled.
“The combination of the significantly better emissions balance of LNG, more efficient ship operation and a significantly increased capacity for cargo and passengers enables an improvement in the CO2 balance by up to 60%,” says TT-Line.
8 The fi rst ‘Green
Ship’ for TT-Line will set sail for Germany
Other additions
It’s not just the fuel that adds to the environmental cleanliness of the vessels, the company said.
“An energy-efficient air conditioning system ensures minimal energy consumption and the heat recovery system of the engine head saves additional energy,” TT-Line says.
“The optimised hull, including a specially designed bow, and special shaft seals with extensive waste management conserves resources and only environmentally friendly cooling water additives and cleaning agents are used.
“Plastic products are avoided as far as possible. In general the central aspect in the selection of suppliers is the environmental friendliness of the solutions.
Gondan holds CSOV naming ceremony for Edda Wind
The fi rst of fi ve CSOVs by Gondan has been named Edda Breeze.
Spanish shipbuilder Gondan has held a naming ceremony for a commissioning service operation vessel that it built for Norwegian shipowner Edda Wind.
Edda Breeze will provide support for the energy company Ocean Breeze during operations at the Bard Offshore 1 wind farm in Germany.
With a length of 88.3m and a beam of 19.7m, the CSOV can accommodate 120 people, including 93 technicians and 27 crew members.
It will be installed with zero-emission hydrogen technology, a 3D motion compensated crane and a motion compensated gangway, with a maximum range of 28 metres for personnel transfer and an integrated elevator with capacity of up to 26 people.
The naming ceremony, at Gondan’s facility in Castropol on March 12, was attended by Edda Wind’s board of directors, shareholders and representatives from Ocean Breeze.
“The global situation generated as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic has represented a challenge for the shipbuilder, which has managed to face it with great effort and thanks to careful coordination and implementation of all necessary measures, in accordance with current government regulations, successfully achieving the fulfilment of its commitments, despite the challenges,” said Gondan.
This is the first vessel of five CSOVs that Gondan has in its order book, the firm said.
8 Gondan naming ceremony for shipowner
Edda Wind’s new CSOV, Edda Breeze
8 WEM 5 and WEM 6 are the fi rst CTVs out of Strategic Marine’s new Benoi Road shipyard
SINGAPORE SHIPYARD DELIVERS FIRST CTVS FOR EUROPE
Two new 27m crew transfer vessels have been delivered out of Strategic Marine’s new Benoi Road shipyard in Singapore.
The two crew transfer vessels (CTVs) for WEM Marine Ltd are built to the company’s Stratcat 26 design and have been designed to meet the operational requirements of UK and European waters where they will go into service.
“This latest delivery further cements Strategic Marine’s solid, proven reputation for building CTVs for renewable energy industries all around the world and builds upon our excellent relationship with WEM Marine,” said Chan Eng Yew, CEO of Strategic Marine. ”Our customers value our experience and our ability to effectively tailor our vessel design to different operational requirements, ensuring the finished vessel is absolutely fit for purpose.”
Effi cient propulsion
The vessels, WEM 5 and WEM 6, are powered by two Caterpillar C32 engines driving fixed pitch propellers providing a robust and efficient propulsion system.
When fully operational, 24 technicians and six crew can be comfortably accommodated onboard and personnel transfer to the wind turbines is facilitated by a patented active fendering system.
These vessels are sister vessels to two CTVs delivered to WEM Marine in the summer of 2021 and all four have been delivered on schedule and to budget, despite the challenges of the global pandemic.
The new vessels recently completed their sea trials with David Ford, managing director of WEM Marine joining the crew to put the CTVs through their paces. Both vessels delivered speeds exceeding 26 knots.
Mr Ford said: “I am delighted to accept delivery of these two vessels, which will form an integral part of our fleet. Joining the Strategic Marine team for the sea trials further cemented our close working relationship and Strategic Marine’s professionalism, commitment to quality and attention to detail has made it a pleasure to follow the progress of these two vessels from design and build, through to delivery.”
In May 2021, Rodman delivered an even bigger offshore patrol vessel, the Rodman 138, to the Spanish Tax Administration Agency in Moaña.
The company said the building of the 43m vessel was a ‘milestone’ for the shipyard, permitting it to enter a new segment of vessels up to 45 metres in length.
Rodman’s new patrol boat delivered
Rodman Group has delivered what it says is one of the largest patrol boats in Europe.
Spanish marine machinery equipment manufacturer Fluidmecanica has installed the anchor windlass, steering gear and bow thrusters on what is thought to be one of the largest patrol boats built in Europe.
Fluidmecanica also installed the hydraulics on the new Rodman 130 Mar de Galica, which has been delivered to the fleet of Xunta de Galicia in Spain.
The Mar de Galicia is an intervention height patrol boat designed to carry out surveillance of fishing resources in coastal waters, as well as other surveillance tasks such as drug trafficking. The glass fibre reinforced polyester boat, which is 40m in length and has a maximum speed of 27 knots, can stay at sea without external assistance for five days, Rodman says.
8 Mar de Galicia is a new Rodman 130 patrol
boat in the Xunta de Galicia fl eet
DUAL-FUEL POWERED TANKERS DELIVERED TO TERNTANK
Swedish tanker operator Terntank has accepted delivery of two hybrid fuel tankers at Gothenburg Port within two weeks of each other
Tern Island and Tern Fors were designed by Terntank and Kongsberg Maritime and built at China Merchants Jinling Shipyward. The fi rst was accepted at the port on February 11, the second on February 25.
Both are fuelled by LNG or LBG (liquid biogas), and are able to operate at port using a DC Link system to connect to power at Gothenburg Port – which is believed to be the first port in the world that can connect tankers to electricity.
The mechanism means the tankers can reduce their auxiliary energy consumption during port operations by 99%, Terntank says, and the battery packs provide an energy reserve for power generation, limiting unnecessary parallel running of generators and provides a blackout prevention function that keeps the electrical network alive.
The vessels are being hailed as green because they emit no greenhouse gases or carbon particulates during port operations. The main engine, boiler and auxiliary engine can reduce their environmental impact and perform safe operations running on biofuels.
“By combining the optimised hull and rudder design with dual fuel capability, when utilising 30% biogas, in comparison to a same sized conventional vessel, Tern Fors reduces emissions by 70% of CO2 and almost eliminates the emissions of sulphur oxide (99%), of particle emissions (99%) and nitrogen oxide (99%),” says the company.
Tern Fors has also been installed with a digital system by Kongsberg that optimises the vessel’s voyage by constantly adjusting its speed so that its arrival time can be controlled to the point that it can send a virtual NOR and move directly into port without having to drop anchor and wait to berth.
“This digital solution offers enhancement to the ‘Just-inTime’ management, which is continuously being developed, providing vessel-to-cloud data infrastructure capturing and aggregating quality data in respect to the vessel’s overall operation,” Terntank says.
“The data gathered ranges from engine and piston performance, hull build-up, to even contact with ice. This data is then utilised to allow efficient and proactive maintenance, evidently leading to reduced emissions.”
Each vessel has a cargo capacity of 16,500 m3 and will be commercially operated by the Finnish North European Oil Trade in the Baltic Sea area.
8 Terntank’s Tern
Fors arrives at Gothenburg Port
Castoldi to supply 164 waterjets for Maldives ferries
Castoldi will supply 82 new public ferries in the Maldives with its waterjets.
Italian waterjet manufacturer Castoldi has won what it has called a ‘momentous’ contract to supply a total of 164 waterjets for 82 new ferries in the Maldives.
The Turbodrive 400 H C waterjets will be supplied to equip new ferries being built by UAE shipyard giant Gulf Craft at its Maldives shipyard, which are needed to vastly improve local transport, Maldives president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said.
Gulf Craft Maldives general manager Terry Stamatakos said the company had worked very closely with Castoldi to deliver the Touring 51 ferries to the government, and ’their performance exceeded expectations, thanks to their Turbodrive 400 HC waterjets’.
The waterjets come with a good reputation, having equipped the 80 interceptor boats of the Indian Navy in 2013 and having been in operation ever since.
The company says it is one of the most efficient, lightweight propulsion systems available today, with a light integrated gearbox contained in the waterjet housing.
Castoldi’s unclogging system can also be installed alongside, together with the ACES electronic control system.
The ferries will be used to act like a system of public buses to take locals from island to island in a transport network much needed by the islanders.
Gulf Craft has operated in the Maldives for 20 years, providing almost 80% of the archipelago’s water transport services, including coast guard, emergency services and leisure boats as well as public transport.
8 Castoldi waterjet-propelled boats
