Offshore Energy Magazine Edition 2 2021

No. 2 June 2021 COOPERATION & ENERGY

Offshore Energy Magazine CONNECTING THE MARITIME & OFFSHORE WORLD FOR SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS

INTERVIEW Kjeld Aabo MAN Energy Solutions

GUEST COLUMN Dan Jackson Cerulean Winds

ARTICLE Projects in the carbon capture realm

ARTICLE Zero-emission shipping mission

Sustainable in all that we do.

Becoming the most sustainable shipbuilder means promoting environmental responsibility in all that we do. It means improving the processes by which we build our vessels; making them cleaner, more efficient. It means addressing the performance of our ships; reducing their noise and emissions and lowering their fuel consumption. It also means providing you with solutions to support the responsible, renewable production of our energy - safely, sustainably, reliably and with optimal efficiency.

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Pictured here: FCS 2710

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table of contents OEEC 2021: Offshore Energy in a changing world page 35

LNG is no longer creating the buzz, ammonia is page 6

Damen's FCS 7011: fast, economical marine access in a changing world

Mission Innovation

page 22

page 12

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Editor’s note

18 Wärtsilä to develop autonomous,

30 Offshore cable specialists:

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Guest Column: Dan Jackson

6

LNG is no longer creating

20 Offshore workforce transitioning

the buzz, ammonia is

12 Mission Innovation to spearhead

zero-emission barge to low carbon energy

22 Damen's FCS 7011: fast,

clean energy innovation

economical marine access

getting the hang of things

32 Zero-emission shipping mission 35 OEEC 2021: Offshore Energy

in a changing world

39 What Is Happening

16 PEM fuel cells:

24 Spotlight on major projects in

52 Colofon

52 Advertisers Index

the future is now

carbon capture realm

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The new energy landscape The offshore energy sector is changing. Developments like the energy transition and the need for sustainable growth are reshaping the industry. The need to innovate and transform are key in remaining relevant and future-proof.

This was true during the COVID-19 period, and it will be so after the pandemic.

The world did not stop spinning the last year and the energy transition is shifting into higher gear. Companies incorporate sustainability as part of their business strategy.

To stay relevant as a company you need to adjust to developments that shape the market. Offshore Energy did this by making the energy transition and sustainable solutions the new focus. Next to that we started to provide an offshore energy wide perspective on the industry in which markets are connected.

Think about it. Maritime ingenuity is needed to construct offshore wind farms.

Electric power is transmitted by subsea cabling. Oil and gas is the fuel that makes the energy transition happen. Other forms of renewable energy, like marine energy, are needed to meet energy demands. Without dredging, ports cannot function. Everything is connected. The markets set the energy transition in motion.

In this magazine we report on several developments of the energy transition in our industry. From zero-emission shipping to carbon capture initiatives. Enjoy!

The editorial team

OUR MISSION IS YOURS

Special transport | www.vanderwees.nl

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GUEST COLUMN

Winds of change The winds of change are coming for energy transition – but are they moving as fast as they could be? While the UK and Scottish governments have set what is seen as the ambitious target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2035, we should be asking if that target is ambitious enough?

Possibly not.

We already have the technology to blow those targets out of the water.

But do we have the vision and confidence to pick up the pace? As the world focuses attention on energy transition, we should be aspiring to not just meet all the targets that have been set but to exceed them.

Recent events have demonstrated that we can respond rapidly to crisis.

Few would have believed a vaccine would be developed for COVID-19 in under a year, but with global cooperation and government commitment, it happened.

The biggest crisis now facing us is the environmental one, and the need to bring about change before it is too late. Energy transition must be a priority and regulatory bodies must be bold and ambitious in their commitment to advance that priority.

In the UK that doesn’t mean suddenly switching off the lights on our oil & gas sector. The sector will be a vital part of our energy mix and a crucial component of our energy security for many years to come. But we can and must make it greener. Offshore assets in the UKCS produce 18 million tonnes of CO2 emissions a year and we should

treat with urgency the fast tracking of the decarbonisation agenda.

If assets don’t reduce their CO2 emissions by the mid-2020s, the financial impact will be crippling. Increased emissions penalties through carbon taxes will see many North Sea fields become uneconomical, moving towards decommissioning by the end of the decade at the cost of thousands of jobs and the demise of the industry decades before the end of its natural life.

A new report from the European Technology and Innovation Platform on Wind (ETIPWind) and WindEurope has said that electrification is the most cost-effective way to decarbonise Europe’s economy.

If it gets the go ahead, a scheme proposed by Cerulean Winds for an integrated 200-turbine floating wind and hydrogen development will do just that in the North Sea, generating enough power to electrify the majority of UKCS assets as well as future production potential from 2024. That would see emissions across the UKCS cut by more than half – in a timescale well ahead of other proposals in the pipeline.

But to achieve this, decisions must be made now. We have submitted a formal request to Marine Scotland for seabed leases for our sites West of Shetland in the Central North Sea. Everything hinges on those being granted by Q3 in 2021 so we can target financial close in Q1 2022 and begin construction soon after.

We are asking Marine Scotland to make an exceptional case to deliver an extraordinary outcome for the economy and environment. A big ask perhaps, but an even bigger prize.

Dan Jackson Founding Director, Cerulean Winds

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LNG is no longer creating the buzz, ammonia is

Ammonia is emerging as the likely front-runner in the fourth propulsion revolution in the maritime industry driven by the sector’s urgent need to decarbonize. According to the predictions from the International Energy Agency (IEA), it will account for around 45% of global energy demand for shipping in 2050.

As was the case with LNG, ammonia is faced with a chicken and egg dilemma both from the supply side and the creation of the necessary bunkering infrastructure to the very technology that would be installed on board ships.

Nevertheless, engine manufacturer MAN Energy Solutions is confident that it would meet its target of developing a commercially viable, ammonia-powered marine engine by 2024.

The engine would be intended for large, ocean-going containerships.

Once the engine enters the market, the company plans to follow up on this breakthrough in 2025 by offering shipowners a retrofit package intended for existing maritime vessels.

A production site at MAN Energy Solutions. The engine manufacturer is confident of developing a commercially viable, ammonia-powered marine engine by 2024. Photo by MAN Energy Solutions.

Economically viable As a zero-carbon fuel, ammonia has an acceptable energy density and could be an economically viable option as it could be stored onboard vessels at a temperature of -33°C. There are two ways to produce carbon-free / neutral ammonia: via renewable sources such as hydrogen to get green ammonia or natural gas combined with CO2 capture to get blue ammonia.

The major issue when it comes to burning ammonia is its high toxicity, as its combustion may produce Nitrous oxide (N2O), which is a potent greenhouse gas. Hence the most important aspect to developing an ammonia-powered engine is making sure potential ammonia releases are prevented or minimized, and safe and quick handling of potential leakages is ensured.

“We will make an ammonia-engine, one way or the other, that’s for sure,” Kjeld Aabo, Director of New Technology for two-stroke promotion at MAN Energy Solutions, confirmed in an interview. “It may be the fourth quarter of 2024, but that’s still our target and we do believe we can do that.”

The two-stroke engine being developed builds on the MAN B&W Dual-Fuel ME-LGIP Engine platform, which uses liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as a low-emission fuel. The research and development activities are taking place at the 2 stroke headquarters and Research Center in Copenhagen, where multiple tests are being made to prove the technology works.

“Testing of ammonia is different from other fuels being tested. It burns quite slowly, and you must have a lot of energy to ignite it. That means that it might have to run on a different amount of pilot oil, and we might even have to derate the engine. We don’t believe that we would have to opt for derating the engine, but quite frankly, it is the first time we operate a two-stroke engine on ammonia, so there might be some surprises. However, we are not in any way afraid that we cannot do it,” Aabo said.

Talking about overcoming the safety challenges in developing the engine, the deadline will be a tough one to achieve. Still, MAN Energy Solutions believes the target is realistic as there are no major bottlenecks to tackle.

Safety “We have to ensure that the ammonia-burning engine is safe, and highly reliable. We also have to ensure that there is no N20 release, also known as laughing gas, which is a very harmful greenhouse gas.

Furthermore, we need to make sure the ammonia slip is not too high in

the exhaust gas. There will always be a little bit because that’s the way the process is. Finally, we need to make the engine compliant with Annex VI, Tier II, and III NOx Emission Standards and we know that actually, ammonia produces more NOx than diesel.”

Therefore, there will be a lot of things to consider when the company starts testing the technology in the beginning of 2022 on one of its big twostroke test engines. As explained, the engine is one part of the process, and MAN Energy Solutions is also working closely with classification societies in relation to the design of fuel components and the fuel gas supply systems.

“We are now going to Hazard 4 on the fuel gas supply system for the ammonia engine. This covers the ammonia tank all the way to the engine itself, including pumps, filters, as well as the gas valve trains that can ensure that the gas supply to the engine stops when the alarm sounds. We also need to ensure that when this happens, the system is in place to purge the piping with nitrogen, so pipes are cleaned from ammonia when you are operating on diesel or going into the harbour. We are working with DNV GL, ABS, BV and ClassNK on this,” Aabo noted.

“Last year, we hosted an event gathering 32 people from the industry for two full days. We looked at all the hazards that could arise from such a system.

Kjeld Aabo, Director of New Technology for two-stroke promotion.

Photo by MAN Energy Solutions

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Transport of the new test engine on it way last year to MAN E&S Research Centre in Copenhagen. Photo by MAN Energy Solutions.

The outcome was for all three hazard scenarios that there was nothing safety-wise that was a bottleneck for making such systems. Our final design of the fuel gas supply system will be presented at the end of June this year, and we have also built that up in our test facility for testing.”

What type of engine will dominate the industry in the next couple of decades? Our interviewee agrees with industry predictions that in the first decade of the shipping’s transition toward a greener future, we will see more engines operating on methane and LNG. It is the most obvious solution, commercially available on the market. Yet, there are two sides of the coin when talking about LNG. Namely, even though it is being touted as the best available solution, there are numerous questions about LNG’s real carbon footprint well to wake.

Same page “The IMO still faces difficulties in defining this issue and is yet to bring some clarity, so everyone is on the same page. The trend we see right now is that most owners are going

for LNG, definitely. We have over 240 engines running on LNG ordered so far, in different sizes. Even though we have a methanol engine we don’t have a methanol engine of 60, 70 or 80 bore size yet in our programme.

These are yet to be designed, and based on the overall request coming from the market. As technology providers, we have to listen to the market and adjust our development priorities accordingly when a business case matures and can cover the development overhead. If you look at our engine portfolio, it is enormous and there is so much overlap because you have different engines for different applications in the marine business,” Aabo said.

The trend so far has been to introduce alternative fuels on ships transporting those fuels as cargo, so methanol engines on methanol carriers, and the case has been similar for LPG and ethane carriers.

However, with the announcement from companies like A.P. Moller Mærsk on choosing methanol burning engines for one + one 2,200 TEU

containership newbuilds this trend is starting to change, Aabo noted, adding that these different types of fuels are going to be utilized in other applications.

MAN Energy Solutions has been the maritime industry’s trailblazer when it comes to the production of dual-fuel engines, primarily focusing on LNG and LPG engines. Nevertheless, the company is keeping a close eye on the growing interest in using methanol as fuel.

“LPG has really taken the market by storm and we have now 79 engines sold. It is our last diesel cycle dual-fuel engine that we marketed in late 2019. In the last six months or so, all engines sold to LPG carriers were our engines, so you could say that we hold 100% market share for this segment thanks to this engine,” Aabo said.

Efficiency Offshore Energy wanted to know whether there was still room for improvement of the dual-fuel engines running on the different dual fuels.

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“As technology providers, we continue to improve our engines with different technologies, both the existing ones and those running on dual fuels,” Aabo said. “However, when it comes to significant improvement in efficiency looking at CO2 footprint of existing LNG dual-fuel engines, the answer is basically, no.”

“If you take our diesel principle methane burning gas engine, they have a very low methane slip and they are highly optimised. There is a possibility to start utilising the heat from the exhaust gas and cooling water, but ultimately, that heat would not make a big difference on the CO2 footprint.”

“We can theoretically go from 55% to 63% efficiency, but that will only be at certain loads and it would result in high Capex, since you would need to invest in a lot of different equipment to collect and transfer the heat to whatever type of energy conversion system you would like to use it for.”

Dual-fuel engines running on LNG, LPG and methanol are by some part of the industry considered to be inter-

mediate fuels and not long-term low carbon or carbon neutral solutions.

All can, though, be produced as e-fuels or for methanol or bio-methanol.

“Our experience shows that shipowners, yards, and many other companies these days are mostly looking at ammonia and methanol as long-term fuels,” he added. “Of course, the funny thing is that there is no green ammonia right now, but there are many companies in and outside the marine industry that are looking at its development and utilization. So at the moment we are mostly speaking to customers about ammonia not about LNG.” Silver bullet Be that as it may, ammonia will not be the silver bullet as the shipping industry presses ahead on its decarbonization path. The more likely scenario is that instead the industry is moving towards a multi-fuel future. Aabo estimates there will be quite a number of different dual-fuel engines and fuels utilized in the future depending on the course of their respective developments.

The Aurora Class’ ships will feature a MAN E&S multi-fuel engines that can run on various biofuel and conventional fuels, including LNG. With minor modifications, they will be able to transition to use any type of zero-carbon fuels, including green ammonia.. Image by Höegh Autoliners.

“I don’t think that in 2040s there will only be ammonia that will be fuelling the marine industry,” he pointed out.

Biofuels are expected to be part of the mix as well, even though they are likely to play a minor role. “Some owners would like to operate on biofuels, which are quite costly right now, but that is likely to change in the future.

Minor part of the shipping industry will be operating on biofuels and our engine is already ready for that.”

“We do believe that ‘dual-fuel’ is the future, because we see different interests for different fuels. As technology providers, we are not concentrating on one option, but on what we hear from market. This is what we prioritize in our development and I think that’s the way it has to go. Even so, you have to bear in mind that it is not easy to make a new dual-fuel engine.

Despite the obvious technical challenges, which is always existing, it also takes a lot of power, human resources, testing and, at the end of the day, the endavour is quite costly.”

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rious for moving too slow in the decarbonization process and, it has even been accused of not being too ambitious in setting its goals. From a technological standpoint, the engine manufacturing industry seems to be ready to produce engines that can run on zero-carbon fuels.

“We will make an ammonia-engine, one way or the other, that’s for sure,” Kjeld Aabo, Director of New Technology for two-stroke promotion at MAN Energy Solutions.

Shifting gears In a recent announcement, Höegh Autoliners revealed that its new generation of car carriers, set for delivery in 2023, would be zero-carbon ready.

The Aurora Class’ ships will feature a MAN E&S multi-fuel engines that can run on various biofuel and conventional fuels, including LNG. With minor modifications, they will be able to transition to use any type of zero-carbon fuels, including green ammonia.

Talking about the key considerations that need to be taken into account when designing multi-fuel and multi-function engines and preparing that for the future zero-carbon fuels, Aabo explained: “Our foundation engine that will be used for the project is called ME-C fuel oil burning, and that’s what is sold today. An ME-C engine can technically be converted from fuel oil burning to one of the dual fuels currently available in dual-fuel engines. What is being referred to as multi-fuel does not refer to one engine but the number of fuels you can choose from now.

“There is no doubt that the intention in our development is to ensure that there are not too many variations of dual-fuel technologies. For example, for fuels like methanol, LPG and ammonia, which are all in a liquid state until they are injected into the engine system, all three of them use the same pump and piping system.

“It would be smart if we could have one concept that fits all, but we’re not there yet. This is especially the case for ammonia, which is harder to ignite etc. Therefore, we need to be completely sure what the design for ammonia-powered engines and fuel supply will look like before we can see if there’s anything that could be utilised both for methanol, LPG and ammonia-powered engines.”

Right now, the solution being proposed is a separate dual-fuelled engine for ammonia, and that also applies to other piping installation parts when considering retrofitting a vessel operating on LPG to ammonia.

“Basically, all the things that are dual-fuel LPG on this engine have to be exchanged to ammonia parts, since there are no similar components right now to fit both options. Nevertheless, that it is a hope for the future, but we are far from that and right now,” he pointed out.

“We are not far from making a common design, but how much can be used for both or all three liquid fuels we don’t know yet. What we are saying to customers in order not to promise anything is that today it is separate dual-fuel engine, but we have an ambition to make something common.”

Missing incentive The shipping industry has been noto-

Speaking from a wider perspective, the uptake of those engines and new technologies faces the risk of remaining a challenge as numerous companies remain on the side-lines pending some type of incentive to take the plunge.

Commenting on what type of incentive that might be to drive the industry forward, regulatory, financial, governmental, or even a total ban on fossil fuels.

Aabo said: “Without a CO2 tax, the transition to zero-carbon fuels would be extremely difficult to implement. Being a very competitive business, of international character, shipping needs a common regulation and the transition cannot be done by single companies or regions, since CO2 is everywhere. The IMO would be the right body to enforce such a regulation. We see a lot of developments when it comes to Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) and operational Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII), but this is not something that will actually change the situation for the environment .”

“Banning fossil fuels would be very difficult. Therefore, I think there needs to be a business case for operating on low or zero-carbon fuels supported by subsidies or, what is more realistic, regulated through a CO2 tax so that shipping companies can start using the green fuels.

“As soon as the IMO comes up with a CO2 tax, industry stakeholders can start considering what type of fuel will be the right option for them for the future. The good news is that most of the vessels ordered today are prepared for a dual fuel, in some way or the other,” Aabo concluded.

By Jasmina Ovcina

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Mission Innovation 2.0 to spearhead $250 billion clean energy innovation decade At the global Innovating to Net Zero Summit, 23 governments responsible for over 90% of global public investment in clean energy have collectively launched bold new plans to catalyze action and spearhead a decade of innovation to drive global investment in clean energy research, development and demonstrations.

The move comes in the form of the second phase of Mission Innovation (Mission Innovation 2.0), and is said to represent the most significant inter-governmental clean energy initiative in the run up to COP26 climate conference. The goal is to make clean energy affordable, attractive and accessible for all in this decade, and to accelerate action towards the Paris Agreement and net-zero pathways.

Mission Innovation 2.0 will catalyze public-private action and investment through sector-specific ‘missions’ that will accelerate the frontiers of innovation and drive down the cost of technologies by increasing public-private action in areas critical to global clean energy transition, starting with power systems, clean hydrogen and shipping.

The decade of innovation, as envisioned by Mission Innovation 2.0, has a projected investment of at least $250 billion (based on International Energy Agency data) by Mission Innovation members to accelerate the development of clean energy solutions in critical areas and reach tipping points in their affordability.

This includes $25 billion already budgeted by governments to invest by 2030 in major demonstration projects, which could expand to some $50 billion based on recent announcements.

Each ‘mission’ is led by a coalition of countries and brings together governments and the private sector to focus innovation efforts. The ‘missions’ are underpinned by a new global Innovation Platform to strengthen confidence and awareness in emerging innovations and maximize the impact of national investments.

Green Powered Future – led by China, Italy and the UK – aims to demonstrate that, by 2030, power systems in different geographies and climates will be able to effectively integrate up to 100% variable renewable energy, such as wind and solar, in their generation mix and maintain a cost-efficient, secure and resilient system.

Clean Hydrogen – led by Australia, Chile, the UK, the US and European Union – aims to make clean hydrogen cost competitive to the end user by reducing end-to-end costs to $2 per kilogram by 2030. The mission will

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increase research and development in hydrogen technologies and deliver at least 100 hydrogen valleys across production, storage and end use of hydrogen worldwide.

Zero-Emissions Shipping – led by Denmark, the US and Norway, together with the Global Maritime Forum and the Maersk McKinney Moller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping – aims for ships capable of running on zero-emission

fuels (such as green hydrogen, ammonia and methanol) to make up at least 5% of the global deep-sea fleet by 2030.

Innovation Platform – will build global confidence in emerging clean energy solutions by tracking innovation progress, enhancing knowledge-exchange and collaboration and working with investors, innovators and end-users to accelerate technologies to market.

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As part of the platform, India has today launched the Mission Innovation CleanTech Exchange which will create a network of incubators across member countries. The network will provide access to the expertise and market insights needed to support new technologies to access new markets globally.

Commitment In a joint statement launching Mission Innovation 2.0, energy, research and science ministers representing 22 countries and the European Commission (on behalf of the European Union) stated: “As many governments and businesses around the world continue to commit to ambitious climate goals and to reach net-zero emissions, the need for innovation has never been greater or more urgent. To achieve the Paris Agreement, all sectors of the economy need access to cost competitive clean energy solutions this decade”.

In the statement, ministers committed to step up their collective ambition and cooperation, mobilize and connect global research, development and demonstration efforts to maximize the impact of these investments, build confidence in clean energy solutions,

and develop pathways to deployment.

They also committed to develop National Innovation Pathways that describe how they will enhance ambition to pioneer clean energy technologies and/or sectors to meet their climate and energy goals up to 2030.

Mission Innovation is collaborating with a network of partner organisations worldwide to accelerate innovation. At the Innovating to Net Zero Summit, the European Commission and Breakthrough Energy Catalyst also announced a new partnership to support investments in clean technologies for low-carbon industries.

Fatih Birol, Executive Director at International Energy Agency (IEA) said: “The IEA’s Global Roadmap to Net Zero by 2050 shows that by mid-century, almost half the reductions in CO2 emissions will need to come from technologies that are currently at the demonstration or prototype phase.

This means major innovation efforts are required by 2030 in order to bring these new technologies to market in time and scale them up over the coming decades”.

Since 2015, Mission Innovation member governments have increased clean

As many governments and businesses around the world continue to commit to ambitious climate goals and to reach net-zero emissions, the need for innovation has never been greater or more urgent.

Photo by CorPower Ocean.

energy innovation investments by a cumulative total of $18 billion. Investment is now $5.8 billion per year higher than in 2015. Canada, Chile, Finland, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, the Republic of Korea and the UK have doubled their levels of investment and Denmark, Germany, Sweden and the European Commission have increased investment by 75% or more against their 2015 baselines, according to Mission Innovation.

National investments have already supported the research, development or demonstration of nearly 1,500 innovations with the potential to avoid more than 21 gigatons of CO2 per year by 2030, if fully deployed. In addition, through Mission Innovation, an additional $1.6 billion funding has supported 157 new international collaborations since 2015, supporting clean energy innovation globally.

By Amir Garanovic

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PEM fuel cells: the future is now Of the numerous future fuel options available when considering the IMO’s targets for reducing ship greenhouse gas emissions, hydrogen is one of the top choices currently on the table. One way that hydrogen can be used for energy production is in a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell. The power generated can be put to use for both propulsion and on-board energy supplies, giving it great potential for clean and green maritime operations.

EM fuel cell technology is more than a futuristic concept, says Jogchum Bruinsma, application manager maritime systems at PEM fuel cell producer Nedstack. “This is not just an idea anymore; PEM fuel cell-powered ships are already being built.” He is referring to the inland shipping vessels Maas and Antonie, which will be fitted with fuel cell technology by Nedstack “This shows the potential of fuel cells.

Of course, these vessels will have limitations, however they will be able to perform the daily work for which they have a contract – without emissions and using today's technologies.”

Bruinsma’s work at Nedstack looks further than the inland shipping sector for PEM fuel cell use. “PEM fuel cells are truly zero-emissions and there are so many possibilities. Zero-emission harbour tugs, for example, or larger applications such as offshore wind installation vessels; when they are in field, they do not consume that much energy, all that offshore installation

work could be zero-emissions, only requiring fossil fuels for transiting back and forth to shore. These applications can be realized today, using existing technology. Another example is the auxiliary power and port navigation of a cruise ship, you are talking about megawatts running 24/7; this is also possible with our PEM fuel cells.”

Industrial FC systems Nedstack has an established track record with PEM fuel cell technologies.

In 2007, the company built the world’s first PEM fuel cell power plant, which is still operational today. “The world’s largest PEMFC power plant was also built by us, so you could say that we are a market leader in industrial fuel cell technology.”

A significant feature of Nedstack’s PEM fuel cell technology is their capacity, as Bruinsma explains: “Our systems are high-power mission-critical industrial systems. This is different to smaller systems used in the automo-

Jogchum Bruinsma, application manager maritime systems at PEM fuel cell producer Nedstack.

tive industry; these are intended to last up to 10,000 hours of operational lifetime. If you put that on board a vessel, in some cases it is just over a year of operation. We have a dif-

17 ferent approach – building fuel cell stacks to last for over 24,000 hours, and systems that will last for over 15 years. If you look at an inland shipping vessel running at about 4,000 hours per year, this is six years, before stack maintenance.”

How does a fuel cell work?

A Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell consists of a membrane in between two cell plates containing gas channels. On one side of the membrane is hydrogen. The hydrogen reacts with a catalyst in the membrane, which splits it into protons and electrons. The protons pass through the membrane. The flow of remaining electrons becomes an electrical current. On the other side of the membrane is air. The oxygen in the air reacts with the protons and electrons to form pure water. This can be summarised with the following equation: 2H2 + O2 = 2H2O + electricity + heat.

“One fuel cell can produce about 250 amps but at a very low voltage,” explains Bruinsma. “By stacking the fuel cells in series, we can create up to 13 kW in a single and modular stack.

We can connect these units to make whatever configuration is needed.

For example, we have 40kW, 100kW and 500kW systems.” This modularity yields important benefits to users: it means that they can interconnect units, scaling up or down as required, and when a fuel cell stack comes to the end of its lifecycle, it can be easily replaced. Another advantage of PEM fuel cells is their operating temperature. “We operate at 60 degrees, which is much lower than the 600 to 900 degrees required for a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). This means that we take only about 2 minutes to start up, and we can react to dynamic responses. An operating temperature of 60 degrees is also ideal for heating accommodation and storage holds.”

Software and hardware support Nedstack’s current involvement in the maritime market is backed up by hardware and software support from Bachmann electronics. Similar to Nedstack’s modular and scalable setups, Bachmann offers a modular software structure that Nedstack use to build their system software one time right in a very efficient way. “Bachmann’s

hardware systems are also flexible and reliable,” adds Bruinsma. “This gives us maximum control of what is happening in our systems. The integrated HMI is another great asset, and with the scope function, we can look at very detailed loggings without any additional measuring equipment.”

Grey and blue, but aiming for green While it is generally assumed that hydrogen will play a major role in future fuel supply chains, the current situation regarding its production cannot yet be called fully sustainable. This is because a large amount of hydrogen is produced steam-methane reforming of natural gas. This is known as grey hydrogen, something that is still very much connected to fossil fuels and their associated carbon emissions.

The next step is blue hydrogen, which is also produced from natural gas – the big difference is that the CO2 emission problem is solved by Carbon Capture and Storage. Electrolysis using electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar power is the way to produce hydrogen with zero carbon emissions; this is green hydrogen.

For Nedstack, the type of hydrogen used is not relevant at this moment in time. “It is important to get started. With blue hydrogen or, worst case, grey hydrogen; because then at least in the production of power there will be no emissions,” says Bruinsma. “It is comparable our electricity supply – of course we want it all to be green, but we have to start somewhere.”

What the future holds This begs the question of what he sees being the key milestones in the future. “Adoption is a major milestone – demonstrating that this technology is possible with commercially operated vessels. However, on-board hydrogen storage is a big challenge. Hydrogen is very energy dense in terms of weight, but not in terms of volume as it is a gas. Compressed hydrogen would be suitable for short sea and inland shipping, the next step being liquefied hydrogen for higher power and greater range.”

The next two milestones of mass production and cost reduction are closely connected: “This new market enables us as manufacturers to start investing in future developments and mass production. Once there is mass production, significant cost reduction will follow. This is something that will also happen with the hydrogen supply. In fact, I think that in five years’ time we will be having a very different conversation.”

E office.veenendaal@bachmann.info I www.bachmann.info The Market Contribution is a section in which companies share their business endeavors or market analyses. Please contact us at jp@navingo.com for inquiries.

In 2007, the company built the first PEM fuel cell power plant, last year the first of a new generation was delivered, being 10 times smaller.

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Wärtsilä to develop autonomous, zero-emission barge for Port of Rotterdam Finland-based technology group Wärtsilä is embarking on a project to develop and demonstrate an autonomous, zero-emission barge for the Rotterdam Port Authority.

The endeavor is part of a research project, nicknamed sMArt Green Ports as Integrated Efficient multimodal hubs (MAGPIE), which was borne out of a collaboration between the port authorities of Rotterdam, DeltaPort, HAROPA and Sines. The project is being pursued in partnership with 10 research institutions and over 30 companies in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Portugal and Denmark.

sensor tech with navigation systems for safe, automated ship movement.

Earlier this month, the alliance was awarded nearly € 25 million ($30.4 million) in EU funding to implement projects aimed at sustainable and smart port logistics. It also involves the development of a plan on making port transport carbon-free by 2050.

“We believe that overland transport modes will not be able to absorb the emerging capacity bottleneck for internal container movement. So, we will be delivering an autonomous e-barge concept that can greatly enhance efficiency in the Port of Rotterdam through automated seaborne cargo transshipment. Our ambition is to see these container shuttles introduced into a smart logistics network within the next few years,” says Hendrik Busshoff, Business Development Engineer, Wärtsilä Voyage.

Wärtsilä Corporation, as the largest industrial partner of MAGPIE, is set to receive the biggest portion of the grant to demonstrate a commercially viable autonomous intra-port inter-terminal container shuttle. The shuttle aims to address the issue of an emerging capacity bottleneck for internal container transportation.

The technology company said that the installation onboard the vessel will include several of its solutions, such as SmartMove Suite, a unique pairing of

Developing autonomous shipping operations has been high on the priority list for Wärtsilä. Namely, the company has been working for years with Singapore-based towage services provider PSA Marine on the IntelliTug autonomous ship project to demonstrate some of its solutions.

The barge is also set to be fitted with electric propulsion enabled by an electric drive train and an interchangeable battery container solution, which is charged using renewable power. The technology would make the barge emission-free.

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“To complement the e-navigation set up, we are part of a consortium that has developed a concept based on the use of replaceable battery containers, known as ZESPacks (Zero Emission Services). A network of open access charging points will be set up for exchanging battery containers for fully charged replacements, thereby keeping waiting time to a minimum. The first of these battery containers will be installed in the summer,” says Teus Van Beek, General Manager, Ecosys-

tem Innovation, Wärtsilä Marine Systems.

be joined by another five over the course of 2021.

Last year, the Heineken beer company entered into an agreement with ZES to utilise the service for transporting beer, thus becoming the first end customer for the enterprise. The first ship fitted with ZES-Packs, De Alphenaar, started carrying beer from the Heineken brewery in Alphen aan de Rijn to the port of Moerdijk last year. The first vessel is scheduled to

“Utilising new technology, we will change short sea and inland shipping into a safer, cleaner, and more efficient link in the logistic chain, with greater accessibility to those who need it. That’s why we are automating operations,” says Sean Fernback, President, Wärtsilä Voyage.

Jasmina Ovcina

Inland Container Shipping, Port of Rotterdam.

Photo by Eric Bakker.

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Majority of UK offshore workforce transitioning to low carbon energy by 2030 The offshore energy workforce mix will change significantly in the next 10 years, with roles in decarbonised energies projected to increase from 20 to 65 per cent of all jobs in the sector. According to new research from Robert Gordon University (RGU), over 90 per cent of the UK’s oil and gas workforce have medium to high skills transferability and are well-positioned to work in adjacent energy sectors like offshore wind, carbon capture utilization and storage, and hydrogen.

With over $241 billion in investments to be made in capital and operating activities in the UK offshore energy sector over the next ten years, around 200,000 skilled people are expected to be required in the UK offshore energy industry to ensure delivery in 2030.

As stated in the UK Offshore Energy Workforce Transferability Review by RGU, around 80 per cent of the jobs in 2030 are envisaged to be in nine key job families – operations, technicians, engineering, projects, commercial/business development/marketing, procurement/supply chain manage-

ment, finance, HR, and HSE. Soft skills and other non-technical skills are generally highly transferable to adjacent energy sectors.

Around 100,000 of the jobs in 2030 are projected to be filled by people transferring from existing oil and gas jobs to offshore renewable roles, new graduates, and new recruitment from outside the existing UK offshore energy sector.

Currently, around 160,000 people directly and indirectly employed in the UK offshore energy sector in 2021.

To underpin the developing offshore wind, hydrogen, carbon capture and storage as well as the vital ongoing oil and gas activities in the UK that number must increase by at least 40,000.

The offshore energy workforce mix is also expected to change with over 65 per cent of the workforce by 2030 projected to support low carbon energy activities.

As for the spread, of the 200,000 people projected to be employed in the UK offshore energy sector by 2030, around 90,000 or 45 per cent are expected to support offshore

Photo by Menno de Graaf.

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'Renewables create new opportunities for people'

“With the overall number of jobs in the UK oil and gas industry projected to decline over time, the degree of transferability of jobs to adjacent energy sectors such as offshore wind, carbon capture and storage, hydrogen or other industrial sectors will be key to ensuring the UK retains its world-class skills and capabilities. “With many of the skills and competencies required for the offshore energy sector to be highly interchangeable, the energy transition offers a unique opportunity to create a new world-class net-zero energy workforce. wind, 70,000 or 35 per cent will work in oil and gas, and the remaining 40,000 or 20 per cent will cover other offshore-related energy projects and clusters.

The review also indicated that the impact of a reduced ambition, combined with a lower activity level and accelerated decline in the oil and gas industry could reduce the offshore energy workforce requirements to fewer than 140,000 jobs by 2030.

Paul de Leeuw, director of the energy transition institute at RGU and the Review’s lead author, said: “Successful delivery of the UK and the devolved Governments’ energy transition ambitions has the opportunity to secure around 200,000 jobs in 2030 for the offshore energy workforce.

“There is a significant role for the higher education sector to play in ensuring the targets set out by governments and the industry are achieved and that the upskilling and reskilling of the workforce is delivered to meet the demands of the changing energy landscape”.

UK Energy Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan added: “Through our leading North Sea Transition Deal, we set out how we will make certain we have an energy skills base in the UK that is fit for the future, while our Green Jobs Taskforce will advise on how we can create the broader skilled workforce to deliver net-zero by 2050”.

Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work Richard Lochhead said: “The re-deployment and, where

necessary, re-training of oil and gas workers will be key to ensuring a just transition over the next decade, and to meeting the labour and skills needs of a growing renewables sector. “Our Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan puts knowledge and skills at the heart of a systematic approach to retaining skills and expertise as we transition to becoming a net-zero economy”.

Celia Anderson of RenewableUK concluded: “Renewables are creating new opportunities for people across the UK, including workers leaving fossil fuel industries who have relevant transferable skills. We’re going to see a huge expansion in offshore wind over the course of this decade, quadrupling our current capacity by 2030.

“That means we’ll need a massive influx of highly-skilled UK workers to build vital new energy infrastructure, as this report shows. Former oil and gas workers offer a wealth of knowledge and experience in this field.

“Another important step is for Government to ensure that it reaches consenting decisions on major renewable energy projects on time so that we can maintain our strong project pipeline in the years ahead. This will help the UK to help to reach net-zero emissions as fast as possible”.

By Bojan Lepic

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Damen's FCS 7011: fast, economical marine access in a changing world In January this year, the first of Damen Shipyards Group’s revolutionary new Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 7011 class was launched at Damen Shipyards Antalya, Turkey.

Representing the very latest in marine access thinking, the vessel has been developed in consultation with the offshore energy industry to meet the needs of a sector facing pressure to its costs in the face of fluctuations in the price of oil and increasingly competitive renewable energy. As a cost-effective crew transportation alternative boasting robust safety characteristics, this innovative design of the FCS 7011 offers a viable alternative to helicopter transport and has already gained substantial interest from clients in the southern North Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, Brazil and West Africa.

A new vessel The momentum behind the development of such a vessel was driven by a number of factors, including the demand from both oil and gas (O&G) operators and the exceptional growth in offshore renewables for increased safety and efficiency, and reduced cost.

Another influence has been changes

in the North Sea which, due to its pioneering role since the late 1960s in offshore oil and gas production, so often takes a lead in emerging trends.

This time it is the decline in production as fields reach and pass their peaks that is bringing with it a new economic landscape for marine access. With the traditional O&G majors beginning to wind down their activities in the region to focus on assets elsewhere, a

new generation of field operators are moving in with the aim of extracting the remaining hydrocarbons left in these declining fields. To do this profitably requires a business model based on low overheads and a more agile way of working that the incumbent oil majors simply cannot replicate. This requires that costs be driven down to the absolute minimum while at the same time ensuring that

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Sea Axe bow plays an important role in reducing slamming to a minimum.

Meanwhile, the accommodation is located just aft of amidships, where the pitching motions are minimal.

Damen has incorporated interceptors within the vessel’s stern to reduce both pitching and rolling when underway. Inside, the passengers have luxurious reclining seating with excellent visibility that helps them to maintain their awareness of the sea, thereby enabling them to adjust to the motion and reducing the potential for seasickness.

Damen has also integrated numerous motion-compensating technologies to achieve the optimum in comfort and safety. This involves a Kongsberg DP system, a tailor-made Ampelmann gangway, VEEM gyrostabiliser, MTU main engines, Hamilton waterjets, Danfoss shaft generators and Veth bow thrusters. Each has been assessed relative to all the others with the objective of creating a tightly integrated advanced control system that allows each part to excel in its specific task. The result is a unified system that is greater than the sum of its parts and which sets new standards in the marine access market on a global scale.

the demand for ever-higher levels of safety is satisfied. As a result, logistics is one of the operational areas that has found itself under the spotlight.

With its experience and capacity for innovation, Damen is well positioned to work with these new, stripped-down, energy groups to help them achieve their objectives and has responded by producing a range of increasingly advanced vessels in partnership with equipment manufacturers producing complementary innovations in mission-critical equipment such as motion-compensated gangways and stabilisers.

Greater capacity 70 metres in length and with a capacity of up to 122 passengers, the FCS 7011 delivers greater efficiencies than ever before through its ability to carry much larger numbers of

personnel than today’s crew transfer vessels (CTVs) for greater distances (200nm+) at higher speeds (up to 40 knots). The accommodation is one of the most critical elements of the project as it has been developed based on a maximum transit time for any individual being no more than twelve hours, that being the limit permitted without the requirement of permanent overnight accommodation. This opens the door to moving away from dayrate structures towards a pay per journey model and, potentially, vessel sharing, whereby multiple offshore installations can be served in a single round trip, thereby delivering substantial savings in both time and operational costs.

The design of the FCS 7011 pays particular attention to on board comfort and safety, during both transit and transfer. During transit, the vessel’s

The launching of the Aqua Helix marks an important milestone in the development of this new class and a significant step towards its completion.

Following the conclusion of outfitting activities now taking place, the FCS 7011 will undergo sea trials off Antalya to test and demonstrate her capabilities. Following this, she will sail to the Netherlands, where Ampelmann will install their gangway system, ready for fully-integrated proof of concept trials in the North Sea.

David Stibbe Director Business Development & Market Intelligence E david.stibbe@damen.com I damen.com The Market Contribution is a section in which companies share their business endeavors or market analyses. Please contact us at jp@navingo.com for inquiries.

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Spotlight on major projects in carbon capture realm Carbon capture utilization and storage or CCUS has gained momentum as a topic of global interest in the last couple of years as energy transition talks and plans intensified, especially in the offshore energy and maritime industries.

Carbon capture is a process where the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2), the key contributor to global warming, is captured in the power generation and industrial processes, preventing its release into the atmosphere.

In addition to reducing overall carbon emissions, capturing these emissions at their source and storing them underground is one of the key elements of energy transition and is critical to achieving net-zero target by 2050.

The pipeline of CCUS projects has been growing lately driven by global climate targets of the Paris Agreement as well as increased interest from policy makers, investors, and industry players looking at ways to mitigate the effects of climate change that go beyond renewable energy.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), after years of declining investment, plans for more than 30 new integrated CCUS facilities have been announced since 2017 with the vast majority being in the United

States and Europe, but projects are also planned in Australia, China, Korea, the Middle East, and New Zealand.

The IEA also pointed out that almost one-third of planned CCUS projects involve the development of industrial CCUS hubs with shared CO2 transport and storage infrastructure.

The energy agency believes that reaching net-zero will be virtually impossible without CCUS as the technology contributes both to reducing emissions in key sectors

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and gas infrastructure and a well understood offshore CO2 storage site in the North Sea. The project holds the first UK CO2 appraisal and storage licence awarded by the Oil and Gas Authority in late 2018 and is looking to establish CO2 mitigation infrastructure essential for meeting the Scottish and UK Government Net-Zero targets.

Through the Acorn Hydrogen project, the North Sea natural gas will be reformed into clean hydrogen, with CO2 emissions safely mitigated through the Acorn CCS infrastructure.

This hydrogen will then be used in transport applications and in the gas grid to decarbonise heating in homes and industries.

Port of Rotterdam CO2 Transport Hub and Offshore Storage project, known as Porthos, is a joint venture between the Port of Rotterdam Authority, Gasunie, and EBN. The Porthos project will transport the CO2 captured by the industry in the Port of Rotterdam and store it in empty gas fields beneath the North Sea.

directly and to removing CO2 to balance emissions that are challenging to avoid.

CCUS is also expected to play a role in the decarbonization of the oil and gas production with major oil and gas players like BP, Shell, Total, Equinor, Eni, and others participating in the development of these projects. The IEA stated that more than 20 per cent of global oil and gas production is covered by 2050 net-zero commitments, with CCUS expected to play a role in every case.

While the portfolio of CCUS projects is increasingly diverse, we will be highlighting several major projects currently under development, which are located in the UK as well as in Norway and the Netherlands. Some of them also linked to low-carbon hydrogen production.

UK’s Acorn There are two elements to the Acorn project in the UK, the carbon capture and the hydrogen element. Acorn Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)

'CCUS projects needed in energy transition' and Acorn Hydrogen are both part of developments planned at the St. Fergus gas terminal near Peterhead, Aberdeenshire.

Acorn CCS is designed to take advantage of existing offshore oil

When it comes to recent developments related to the project, Japan’s Mitsui in March 2021 invested in Storegga, which was at the time the lead developer of Acorn. Mitsui said it would help Storegga accelerate its vision and commitment by using its extensive knowledge of upstream oil and gas industries and strong global networks.

Later that same month, Acorn CCS and Hydrogen project received £31 million in funding from the UK government.

The funds were allocated to Scotland’s Net-Zero Infrastructure project — led

by Storegga’s subsidiary Pale Blue Dot and which comprises the Acorn CCS project — to fund offshore and onshore engineering studies connecting industrial sites across east Scotland with access to carbon storage.

While the Acorn project was initially led by Storegga and Pale Blue Dot, Storegga, Shell, and Harbour Energy in April 2021 became equal partners in the CCS project. The partners will develop the project through to final investment decision (FID), construction, operation, and beyond.

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HyNet North West. Image HyNet.

Using CO2 from the St. Fergus gas terminal, from Scotland’s carbonintensive industries and imported CO2 from the rest of the UK and Europe into Peterhead Port, Acorn is expected to store at least 5Mt/year of CO2 by 2030, half the CO2 emissions set out in the UK Government’s ‘Ten Point Plan’ for a ‘Green Industrial Revolution’ by 2030. The project is expected to be operational by the middle of the decade.

project. It provides the beginnings of a decarbonised industrial cluster in the Humber region, the UK’s largest by emissions.

hydrogen to natural gas blend. As a result, emissions from Saltend Chemicals Park will reduce by nearly 900,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.

The project will be located at px Group’s Saltend Chemicals Park near the city of Hull and its initial phase comprises a 600-megawatt auto thermal reformer with carbon capture, the largest plant of its kind in the world, to convert natural gas to hydrogen.

Equinor and its partners will mature the project towards a final investment decision during 2023 with potential first production by 2026.

H2H Saltend As both CCS and hydrogen are expected to play a key role in helping the industry reach net-zero targets, Norway’s Equinor has engaged in a project to develop one of the UK’s – and the world’s – first at-scale facilities to produce hydrogen from natural gas in combination with carbon capture and storage.

The project is called Hydrogen to Humber Saltend (H2H Saltend) and it is Zero Carbon Humber’s anchor

This will enable a large-scale hydrogen network, open to both blue hydrogen (produced from natural gas with CCS) and green hydrogen (produced from electrolysis of water using renewable power), as well as a network for transporting and storing captured CO2 emissions.

It will enable industrial customers in the Park to fully switch over to hydrogen, and the power plant in the Park to move to a 30 per cent

Carbon capture with Net Zero Teesside Norwegian energy major Equinor is also a partner in the BP-led Net Zero Teesside project development in the UK, which proposes to build a newbuild gas-fired power station with carbon capture, and extend the CCS infrastructure to the neighbouring industrial cluster.

Other energy companies involved in this project include Eni, Shell, and Total.

Net Zero Teesside is a CCUS project with an aim of taking CO2 from the range of industries in Teesside, then

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taking it to a central gathering point, compressing it, sending it offshore, and storing it in an underground reservoir in the North Sea. Teesside’s location offers access to storage sites in the southern North Sea with more than a gigaton of CO2 storage capacity.

The project plans to capture up to 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, the equivalent to the annual energy use of over 3 million UK homes.

The offshore transportation and storage infrastructure developed through the Northern Endurance partnership in the southern North Sea will serve the Net Zero Teesside and the nearby CCUS project Zero Carbon Humber (ZCH).

The Northern Endurance was formed in October 2020 between Net Zero Teesside consortium partners – BP, Eni, Equinor, Shell, and Total – and National Grid to develop carbon dioxide transport and storage infrastructure in the UK North Sea, with BP as the operating company.

If successful, the Northern Endurance Partnership linked to NZT and ZCH will allow decarbonisation of nearly 50 per cent of the UK’s total industrial emissions.Both projects aim to be commissioned by 2026 with realistic pathways to achieve net-zero as early as 2030 through a combination of carbon capture, hydrogen, and fuelswitching.

HyNet North West The UK’s HyNet North West project is based on the production of hydrogen from natural gas. It includes the development of a new hydrogen pipeline and the creation of the UK’s carbon capture and storage infrastructure for industrial CO2.

The carbon capture and storage project will re-use the Liverpool Bay oil and gas fields in the East Irish Sea. The site, owned by Italy’s oil and gas company Eni, has an estimated CO2 storage capacity of 130 million tonnes and gas extraction is likely to cease within the required project timeframe.

The UK’s offshore oil and gas regulator, the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA), awarded the CO2 appraisal

Northern Lights carbon capture and storage project. Illustration: Equinor.

and storage licence to Eni in October 2020. In March 2021, the UK government granted £33 million in funds to support the HyNet project, covering around 50 per cent of the investment necessary to finalise ongoing planning studies with the aim of the site becoming operational by 2025. The funds were received from UK Research and Innovation, through its Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge fund.

Following the £33 million funding, the project also received £39 million in funding from the consortium partner contribution in April 2021, which will allow the project to accelerate to FID in 2023 for the initial phase.

Once operational, the project will help reduce CO2 emissions by up to 10 million tonnes every year by 2030, delivering 80 per cent of the Government’s new UK-wide target of 5GW of low carbon hydrogen and playing a crucial role in the target of net-zero emissions in 2050.

Progressive Energy, Cadent, Fertilisers, Eni UK, Essar, Hanson,

CF

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ExxonMobil has also recently revealed its vision for a massive $100 billion CCS project.

INOVYN, and the University of Chester are partners on HyNet North West hydrogen and CCS project.

Carbon capture in Norway In order to provide safe storage for CO2 emissions which cannot be avoided, Norway’s Equinor is also developing a project which will provide carbon storage as a service.

In partnership with oil majors Shell and Total, Equinor in May 2020 took a final investment decision on the Northern Lights project, Europe’s first commercial-scale carbon transportation & storage project off the coast of Norway, with an initial investment of almost NOK 6.9 billion ($839.6 million).

The Northern Lights is part of the Norwegian full-scale carbon capture and storage project called Longship or, in Norwegian, Langskip. The project

has been described by the country’s Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Tina Bru, as the greatest climate project in the Norwegian industry ever.

Government in December 2020 announced its funding decision for the Northern Lights CO2 transport and storage project.

The full-scale project includes the capture of CO2 from industrial sources in the Oslo-fjord region (cement and waste-to-energy) and shipping of liquid CO2 from these industrial capture sites to an onshore terminal on the Norwegian west coast. From there, the liquified CO2 will be transported by pipeline to an offshore storage location subsea in the North Sea, for permanent storage.

Only days later, Equinor awarded two key contracts for the project, which included the one for the engineering, procurement, and construction of the onshore plant facilities at Energiparken in Øygarden and delivering a subsea injection system for the CO2 well in the North Sea. The contracts, with a total value of NOK 1.3 billion ($158 million), were awarded to Kvaerner and Aker Solutions. Furthermore, Subsea 7 and Aibel were also hired for the project under contracts awarded in January 2021.

Equinor in October 2020, awarded the first big contract for the Northern Lights project, which went to Skanska.

The contract is for building site preparation and the construction of jetty facilities for the CO2 receiving terminal. Following a historic vote in the parliament, the Norwegian

Subsea 7 was awarded a contract for engineering, fabrication and installation of a 100 kilometres CO2 pipeline that will run from Øygarden to the CO2 storage complex, as well

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Northern Lights carbon capture and storage project. Image by Equinor.

as installation of umbilicals, tie-in and pre-commissioning activities. Aibel won an EPCI contract for the Northern Lights subsea control system located on the Oseberg A platform.

The Northern Lights project will be developed in phases with Phase 1, which is expected to be completed in mid-2024, including capacity to transport, inject, and store up to 1.5 million tonnes of CO2 per year.

Once the CO2 is captured onshore by industrial CO2-emitters, Northern lights will be responsible for transport by ships, injection, and permanent storage some 2,500 metres below the seabed. The facility will allow for further phases to expand capacity.

Dutch Porthos project Port of Rotterdam CO2 Transport Hub and Offshore Storage project, known as Porthos, is a joint venture between the Port of Rotterdam Authority, Gasunie, and EBN. The project is being developed as the Netherlands is working to lower emissions by 49 per cent by 2030 and by 95 per cent in 2050 relative to 1990 levels as part of its climate objectives. The importance of CCUS for the energy transition has been underlined by the country’s national coalition agreement and the national Climate Agreement.

The Porthos project will transport the CO2 captured by the industry in

the Port of Rotterdam and store it in empty gas fields beneath the North Sea. The project plans to store an annual amount of 2.5 million tonnes of CO2.

In 2019, oil majors Shell and ExxonMobil as well as Air Liquide and Air Products joined the project through a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) with Porthos JV partners, committing to continue with the permit procedures and the technical preparation of the project. After signing the sequel to the first JDA in the fall of 2020, Porthos and the four partners agreed to keep working together towards the realisation of definite transport and storage contracts.

During 2020, the JDA partners also applied for subsidies from the Dutch government as part of the SDE++

or the sustainable energy transition subsidy scheme. Reports confirmed that the Dutch government will grant around $2.4 billion in subsidies to the Porthos consortium for the CCS project. After the grant is awarded, the permit procedures are expected to be completed by late 2021 and the entire year will be used to prepare for the construction of the capture plants.

Following the FID, planned for 2022, the project is set to become operational in 2024 and expected to reduce emissions in the industrial cluster around the Port of Rotterdam by around 10 per cent. During the year, the Porthos project organisation will be working on the technical preparations of laying pipes on land and the seabed, building the compressor station, and adjusting the platform at sea.

United States Apart from its participation in Porthos, ExxonMobil has also recently revealed its vision for a massive $100 billion CCS project, with Houston, the energy capital of the world and the home to over 12,000 ExxonMobil employees, being assessed as one of the potential locations. In addition to being one of the largest industrial emission sources in the country, Houston’s proximity to geologic formations in the Gulf of Mexico that could store large amounts of CO2 is also an important factor.

Nermina Kulović

Northern Endurance Partnership offshore graphic; Source: BP.

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Offshore cable specialists: getting the hang of things Vos Prodect Innovations applies extensive offshore experience to the support of sustainable energy production. The company is a pioneer in the field of cable hang-off systems and other cable accessories for the offshore industries. Over the last 60 years the company has constantly reinvented itself in the face of shifting market demands and industry trends.

In recent years, the VPI’s engineering specialists have continued to develop the company’s Hang-Off System (HOS). This highly efficient system is designed to secure medium and high voltage power cables to the top of a foundation or cable deck on a monopile, jacket or rig.

The VPI HOS utilizes both temporary and permanent hang-off clamps that are operated independently, thereby separating cable operations. The HOS secures the electricity cable during subsea installation and securely locks it afterwards.

'Detailed diagnostics'

pabilities and abilities to meet the requirements of an offshore wind farm project.”

Fast and easy Fit for purpose The system, explains VPI CEO Marc Derks, has proven itself time and again. “Even during the initial development of the HOS we performed load tests under the observation of Germanischer Lloyd (the classification society now merged with Det Norske Veritas to form DNV GL). These tests clearly demonstrated the system’s ca-

One of the main benefits of the HOS, says Marc, is its simplicity. “Experience has taught us that an easy installation is crucial. It saves precious time offshore, leading to reduced installation time and considerable cost savings .

“The VPI HOS offers a very straightforward installation. In fact, the average installation takes just 45 minutes and even inexperienced users are able to install it in under an hour.”

31 To assist those less familiar with the system, VPI offers preliminary installation support and training days, to provide users with firsthand experience of assembly and installation.

Next generation “It’s not only speed that counts of course,” Marc states. “Quality is also very important. As a company we have a desire to continually improve our solutions and services. Therefore, we have developed the next generation of hang-off systems – the HOS 2.1. This has been extensively tested and re-designed following results. It incorporates a number of innovations and represents a lengthy and robust process of evolution. The final result is something totally aligned with market demands.”

VPI has also developed a low, 250 mm version of the HOS 2.1 for use in the low space environment of the cable deck.

Like all VPI’s products, its HOS solutions undergo continual, vigorous quality and conformity checks and extensive testing, both at VPI’s own on-site facility and at third party locations.

Complete system solution VPI also offers a complete system that includes both the HOS and the company’s Cable Protection System (CPS).

The complete system has been tested and installed at project locations all over the world, as Marc explains.

“The CPS provides bend restriction and impact protection. It also serves to stabilize subsea power cables. At the same time, the HOS secures and locks the electricity cable during installation to the offshore platform. Having witnessed the performance of the systems combined, we feel very confident in stating this is a system that is proven effective for offshore projects.”

cludes Marc. “We are also proud of the collaborations and partnerships we have all over the world that have contributed to the development of these products. Together, we are working towards the creation of a greener world for everyone.”

Supporting sustainable energy production VPI has undertaken over 150 projects all over the world. From its beginnings the company has served both the telecom sector and the oil & gas industry.

More recently, VPI has been turning its experience towards the support of the offshore renewables arena.

“At VPI we are tribution made production of offshore wind

very proud of the conby our products to the sustainable energy at farm locations,” con-

For more information contact Cagatay Aygar Technical Sales Vos Prodect Innovations E info@vos-prodect.com I www.vos-prodect.com The Market Contribution is a section in which companies share their business endeavors or market analyses. Please contact us at jp@navingo.com for inquiries.

“At VPI we are very proud of the contribution made by our products to the production of sustainable energy at offshore wind farm locations.”

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Denmark, Norway, & US spearhead Zero-Emission Shipping Mission The governments of Denmark, Norway, and the United States, along with the Global Maritime Forum and the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, will lead a new Zero-Emission Shipping Mission as part of Mission Innovation.

The mission aims to accelerate international public-private collaboration to scale and deploy new green maritime solutions, setting international shipping on an ambitious zero-emission course. The mission will also be supported by the governments of India, Morocco, the U.K., Singapore, France, Ghana, and South Korea.

“In Denmark, we believe a greener future is possible – if we work together. As one of the world’s largest maritime nations, Denmark has initiated the Zero-Emission Shipping Mission, with great partners from the public and the private sector from all over the world. Our common goal is to make zero-emission vessels the

natural choice for ship owners when they renew their fleet,” said Simon Kollerup, Danish Minister for Industry, Business, and Financial Affairs.

Decarbonization “The decarbonization of shipping will result in a growing global demand for climate technology in the years

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global deep-sea fleet measured by fuel consumption. By 2030, at least 200 of these well-to-wake zero-emission fueled ships are in service and utilizing these fuels across their main deep sea shipping routes.

“Shipping is on the verge of a clean energy revolution. To set the global maritime industry on a climate-aligned course and meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, zero-emission vessels need to be the dominant and competitive choice by the end of this decade. The Zero-Emission Shipping Mission will accelerate public and private efforts around the world to make a zero-emission fleet a reality by 2030,” said Johannah Christensen, Managing Director of the Global Maritime Forum.

Shipping is on the verge of a clean energy revolution. To set the global maritime industry on a climate-aligned course and meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, zero-emission vessels need to be the dominant and competitive choice by the end of this decade.

ahead. Norway’s and other countries’ leading position in green shipping can become an important competitive advantage, giving the maritime industry huge growth potential in international markets,” said Sveinung Rotevatn, Norwegian Minister for Climate and Environment.

“Through fearless technological innovation, ambitious clean energy deployment, and constructive international collaboration, we can build a net-zero carbon economy that creates millions of jobs and lifts our

citizens into greater prosperity,” said Jennifer Granholm, U.S. Secretary of Energy.

The three main goals of the Zero-Emission Shipping Mission are: Develop, demonstrate, and deploy zero-emission fuels, ships, and fuel infrastructure in a coordinated fashion along the full value chain. By 2030, ships capable of running on hydrogen-based zero-emission fuels—such as green hydrogen, green ammonia, green methanol, and advanced biofuels—make up at least 5% of the

Accelerating “The shipping industry needs to decarbonize to be part of the solution to the climate crisis. It will not be easy, and we don’t have a lot of time, but it is possible and now is the time to act. The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping is all about accelerating the transition by finding solutions through collaboration with partners across the ecosystem,” said Bo Cerup-Simonsen, Chief Executive Officer of the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping.

The Zero-Emission Shipping Mission is part of Mission Innovation, a global initiative of 22 countries and the European Commission which aims to catalyze action and spearhead a decade of innovation to drive global investment in clean energy research, development, and demonstrations.

The second phase of Mission Innovation (MI 2.0) was launched at the Innovating to Net Zero Summit in Chile on 2nd June 2021.

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OEEC 2021: Offshore Energy in a changing world Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference (OEEC) is held on 26 and 27 October 2021 in RAI Amsterdam.

The focus of the event is the offshore energy and maritime industry.

Change is the only constant. The world is changing. The industry is changing. The need to innovate and transform are key in remaining relevant and future-proof. This was true during the COVID-19 period, and it will be so after the pandemic. The world did not stop spinning the last year and the energy transition is shifting into higher gear. Companies incorporate sustainability as part of their business strategy.

To make right decisions in times of change, it is essential to have a broad view. Information from the own sector and neighbouring markets can help spot business opportunities. Sharing knowledge with the community creates strong and valuable networks and sparks innovation. It all starts with connecting people.

Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference (OEEC), held on 26 and 27 October 2021 in RAI Amsterdam, looks forward to an edition where people can see each other in real life, not with the help of an internet connection. Because of the vaccination programmes around the globe, some COVID-19 restrictions are lifted and we are returning to a situation where people can go out and meet face-to-face. Off course, OEEC 2021 will make sure that people can connect in a safely way.

But OEEC is not returning to its pre-pandemic ways. “Like so many

other companies, we learned a lot in recent times. To facilitate our global community we will provide a physical exhibition floor and content programme combined with an online event environment. In addition, this content will be provided on demand after the event.”, says Director of Operations Anne Visser. The event will allow exhibitors, visitors, speakers and sponsors to connect both online and offline with matchmaking, live roundtable discussions. The content programme will also be broadcasted live from OEEC.

To limit global warming, as agreed in the Paris Agreement, a lot of work has to be done. But do we have enough skilled people available to do make this happen? That is why OEEC 2021 will also focus on the human capital site of the energy transition. Therefore the Navingo Career Event will take place simultaneously on the 26th and 27th of October 2021 on the exhibition floor at Amsterdam RAI , as part of OEEC. During the Navingo Career Event companies present themselves to potential employees.

Connect both online and offline On the exhibition floor, face-to-face connections are leading. “After a long period in which networking and sharing knowledge could only be done online, we see that the industry is longing to meet again in person. OEEC 2021 is grateful to provide an opportunity in which people from the offshore energy and maritime industry can see each other in a safe way.”

The content programme of OEEC 2021 has the title ‘Offshore Energy in a Changing World’. The offshore energy sector is changing. Developments like the energy transition and the need for sustainability are reshaping the industry. These changes also affect the workforce. To shed light on the different facets of this transformation Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference 2021 presents a content programme

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The content programme of OEEC 2021 has the title ‘Offshore Energy in a Changing World’ in which the energy transition and cross-market collaboration are leading.

in which the energy transition and cross-market collaboration are leading.

Expect two content packed days of industry insights and network opportunities with like-minded peers. In the programme experts talk about, among others, the industry lifecycle and emerging markets of offshore wind, sustainability as driver of innovation in the maritime sector and adaptation as part of the energy transition. The content programme has the following elements:

and business intelligence that are of interest for the whole offshore energy community. Because of industry insights based on business and editorial knowledge, Offshore Energy presents a landscape in which the different markets are connected in relation to the energy transition. In four talk shows experts talk about the different facets of an industry in change. The Offshore Energy Talk Shows are recorded before a live audience at OEEC 2021 and will be broadcasted live on Offshore-Energy.biz.

Talk Shows The talks shows take place in an OEEC studio and provide strategic visions

Energy Talks Front runners, game changers and analysts share their unique views during

the Energy Talks. Fresh ideas and inspirational insights that have a connection with the offshore energy sector are presented during a talk. Six thinkers and doers will each take the stage. The Energy Talks are recorded before a live audience and will be broadcasted live during the event. General views on topics like the energy transition are given, but also specific subjects such as alternative fuels like hydrogen are going to be covered.

Round Tables Round Tables are interactive gatherings of likeminded peers. Both onsite and online, Round Tables act as platforms that connect players from the in-

37 Showcases To stay relevant as a company you need to adjust to market developments. You also need to inform the market with your business solutions.

Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference is the platform to step into the spotlight. In the Showcase programme companies present online their added value to the offshore energy industry

the business landscape and job boards.

Offshore-Energy.biz focuses on the energy transition. Being future-proof within the oil, gas, maritime, offshore wind and marine energy industries means being part of the energy transition and investing in sustainable solutions. The OEEC communities – the offshore, maritime and energy industries – are front runners in this change.

''It starts with connecting people' with informative videos. “These concepts will connect the event floor together with the digital environment of Navingo Career and Offshore Energy platform. In that way we can service our customers and global audience regardless of their location,” says Visser. “ Offshore Energy Platform What makes OEEC as an exhibition special is the connection with its Offshore Energy platform www.offshore-energy.biz, a connector of communities. It brings daily news from markets of interest, in-depth articles and videos, insights from industry leaders, an overview of the important players in

A large part of the energy transition will take place at sea and sustainable innovations will reshape the maritime sector.

Think about it. Maritime ingenuity is needed to construct wind farms. Electric power is transmitted by subsea cabling. Oil and gas is the fuel that makes the energy transition happen. Other forms of renewable energy, like marine energy, are needed to meet energy demands. Without dredging, ports cannot function. Everything is connected.

By combining markets, Offshore Energy connects the gears that set the energy transition in motion.

dustry. In select groups industry knowledges and developments from the markets are shared. Information from the Round Tables can serve as business opportunities and focus on markets, regions or industry innovations.

Offshore Energy Studio During OEEC a live show is recorded on the exhibition floor. Expect perspectives from the next generation, interviews with leading companies from the industry, pitches from attendees and presentations of the latest innovations. The programme can be followed live from the exhibition floor or through the online event platform.

Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference looks forward to an edition where people can see each other in real life.

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Canada backs project powering oil & gas assets with floating wind Canadian government has awarded funding to several projects that could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Newfoundland and Labrador’s offshore oil & gas operations, including a project using floating wind turbines to power oil & gas assets.

Wind-assisted, LNG-electric containership wins BV’s AiP The 2,500 TEU vessel, which has been designed jointly by VPLP Design, Alwena Shipping, SDARI and AYRO, received an Approval in Principle (AiP) from the classification society Bureau Veritas. With an overall length of 197 meters and a breadth of 32 meters, Trade Wings 2,500 features six Oceanwings wingsails installed on a vertical sliding mechanism so that they can be retracted partially while the vessel is in port, thus minimising the impact on cargo operations.

The LNG storage tank is based on GTT’ Mark III containment system and the LNG power plant is designed with pure gas 4-strokes gensets. This architecture can be upgraded to decarbonated fuels in the future such as ammonia or hydrogen, the company said.

“Wind-assisted propulsion is a high-potential solution that can contribute to the long-term decarbonization of the marine industry,” Alex Gregg-Smith, Senior Vice-President Bureau Veritas for North Asia commented. “Benefitting from a coverless hatch and LNG electric pod propulsion, the design provides both operational flexibility, improved efficiency and reduced carbon emissions, complying with, or exceeding, regulatory requirements.”

Trade Wings 2,500, offering a deadweight of 32,500 m tons, is set to operate on short sea shipping routes or feedering in Europe, Central America, Caribbean Islands, and China, as well as on transatlantic trades. As disclosed, on a typical transatlantic route of 4,000 Nm, the vessel is said to save an average 35% CO2-equivalent emissions compared to a conventional design, with a 2-stroke engine, single shaft and without wingsails, at the same speed.

Out of these 35% savings, the Oceanwings accounts to 57%, the optimized LNG thermal propulsion delivering the remaining 43% savings. This co-work to design the Trade Wings 2,500 is said to set the pathway for what could be the low emissions container vessels of the near future. The wind propulsion system is a 363 square meter 2-elements wingsail several of which can be installed on board cargo vessels. AYRO’s Oceanwings system is designed to enable ship owners and operators to leverage wind energy, improving the energy balance of individual vessels and fleets, and, finally, cut carbon emissions.

The project, being developed by floating wind technology developer Saitec and offshore oil & gas engineering company Waterford Energy Services, is aiming to bring forward a ‘plugand-play’ renewable power option for Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODUs) and other offshore or nearshore installations.

The funding will be used for the first phase of the project.

The second phase will focus on developing a full field demonstration, whereby power will be generated by a floating wind turbine and transmitted to an offshore or nearshore installation.

Saitec is the developer behind the SATH floating wind platform, with the technology based on that used for oil & gas FPSOs. The platform features single-point mooring and a simplified connection system (Plug&Play).

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Expanding your team to realise the energy transition?

The Navingo Career Event is the largest European career event of the maritime, offshore and energy sector.

This annual event offers jobseekers career opportunities at top companies in the industry. The 15th edition is being organised at Amsterdam RAI and part of Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference.

Looking to fulfill vacancies? Join the event! Your partnership includes a full service stand on the exhibition floor and exposure in the event programme.

www.NavingoCareer.com

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Half of Boskalis Q1 offshore energy orders came from wind sector Boskalis has reported a 10 per cent increase in the order book of its Offshore Energy division in the first quarter of the year (compared to the end of 2020), with around 50 per cent of new orders coming from the offshore wind sector.

The first quarter at the company’s Offshore Energy division proceeded in line with expectations with a slightly higher revenue level compared to the first quarter 2020, Boskalis said.

The main revenue contribution in the Subsea Intervention contracting part came from the Yunlin offshore wind project in Taiwan and a Floating Storage and Regasification Unit project in El Salvador. For its Subsea Cables segment, Boskalis said it had a relatively busy quarter with projects including Ostwind 2 grid connection in Germany and Moray East offshore wind farm in the UK in progress.

At Heavy Lifting, engineering preparations are in full swing for the Changfang & Xidao offshore wind project in Taiwan, which will enter execution phase later this year, Boskalis said.

transport vessels compared to 2020 full year and a decrease in revenue in Marine Survey compared to early last year. Meanwhile, in the Subsea Services part, the acquisition of Rever Offshore at the end of 2020 and the associated fleet expansion contributed to a substantial growth in revenue.

The company added a number of vessels to its Offshore Energy fleet recently, including the multipurpose offshore construction vessel Boka Tiamat, which will be deployed on offshore wind projects in Taiwan, and a new geophysical survey vessel, Ocean Resolution, which has been in full operation since the first quarter.

Boskalis added that the conversion of the Bokalift 2 crane vessel, which will will be deployed on the Changfang & Xidao wind project immediately upon completion, was progressing well. Bokalift 2, formerly a drillship, is currently being converted into an offshore installation vessel at Drydocks World in Dubai.

The company also recently bought two new vessels that will be converted in the coming months to perform geotechnical and a geophysical surveys.

For the services part of its Offshore Energy division, Boskalis reported lower utilisation of its heavy marine

Horisont Energi, Equinor join in on Polaris CCS project Norwegian carbon tech company Horisont Energi and energy company Equinor have entered into an agreement for Polaris, the carbon capture and storage project off the coast of Northern Norway. CCS captures emissions from power stations and other industrial sources, or directly from industrial processes. The CO2 s then liquified and transported offshore, where it is pumped into the underground storage.

Both the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) state that it will be more difficult and more costly to reach the Paris Agreement’s goal without CCS. Technology for CCS will also be critical to achieving carbon-negative solutions.

The Polaris project will a total carbon storage capacity in excess of 100 million tonnes, which is equivalent to twice Norway’s annual ghg emissions.

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UK companies team up for bio-mimicry inspired tidal device UK-based engineering and technical innovation specialists Rovtech Solutions and Brimstone Enterprises have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly develop a tidal energy system inspired by marine creatures.

The MoU sets out the terms and understanding between the two parties for collaboration on the development, testing, manufacture, marketing, sale and supply of a marine creature-inspired tidal energy capture system.

A high-level proof of concept is currently under development, according to the partners. Following initial appraisal and testing, the companies said they plan to seek further funding to scale up the designs.

The partners have also unveiled their intention to apply for permissions to test their concept in real sea environment. “Using bio-mimicry and drawing inspiration from the natural world to design innovative engineering solutions, the collaboration is expected to result in the development of a tidal energy capture system aimed at fulfilling the global requirement for novel, sustainable energy recovery and power generation”, Rovtech Solutions said in a statement.

Rovtech Solutions and Brimstone Enterprises, both based in Barrow in Furness, are said to be ideally situated on the Barrow peninsula between two powerful estuaries. Solar power and tidal flow are two of the most reliable and sustainable energy sources on earth – the latter which Barrow has in abundance remains mostly unexploited, according to the partners.

UK getting world’s largest pool for underwater tech testing Blue Abyss is bringing what is said to be the world’s biggest and deepest pool to Cornwall, UK, for testing the latest underwater technology and advancing subsea robotics. The £150 million Blue Abyss facility will be an extreme environment research, test, and training center serving the offshore energy, marine, defense, and space sectors.

The centerpiece of the facility will be the aquatic center featuring a 50 by 40 meter stepped pool with a 50-meter deep shaft, which will hold over 42,000 cubic meters of water, the equivalent of 17 Olympic size swimming pools, making it the largest and deepest indoor pool in the world.

The pool’s temperature, lighting and salinity can all be controlled to simulate different conditions, including different currents at varying depths.

It is expected to help in the further development of remotely operated subsea robots and mini submersibles. Blue Abyss is in the process of applying for planning permission at the Aerohub Enterprise Zone. Con-

struction would take approximately 18 months to complete with plans to being open in 2023.

The center is also currently in negotiation with Cornwall Council to acquire four adjacent plots on the Aerohub Business Park, next to Cornwall Airport Newquay. The 10-acre site would house the pool, astronaut training center, human performance center, hypobaric and hyperbaric chambers, microgravity suite, training center with classrooms, workshops, onsite catering and accommodation facilities.

“We’re planning a globally unique facility with a wide range of potential uses that tap into so many of the industries that Cornwall and the South West are known for,” said John Vickers, chief executive of Blue Abyss. “Blue Abyss will be a huge research asset for aerospace, offshore energy, underwater robotics, human physiology, defense, leisure and marine industries, and a fantastic education center for children and university students.”

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LGM Engineering scores FGSS order for eight LNG-fueled tankers LGM Engineering has been contracted to deliver LNG fuel gas supply systems for eight 119,000-dwt dual-fuel crude oil and product tankers. The vessels are being built by CSSC Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) and CSSC Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS) with delivery starting during summer 2022. The shipowner is Bank of Communications Financial Leasing, a unit of Bank of Communications, LGM Engineering said in its statement.

The vessels, LR II type dual-fuel tankers, will be propelled by fuel oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) and meet the standard of International Maritime Organization (IMO) TIER III emission. In terms of energy consumption index, environmental performance and reliability requirements,

it has the characteristics of fast sailing speed, lightweight and low energy consumption, LGM Engineering said.

The vessels will be built under the regulations of the class societies DNV and LR, each company covering four vessels each. LGM Engineering will provide the completed LNG fuel gas supply system including; the system design and manufacture of Type C LNG fuel tanks and dome platform, LNG bunkering station module, water-glycol system, combustible gas detection system, nitrogen generator system as well as the installation guidance of FGSS fuel gas control and ESD system, commission, gas trail, sea trail and crew training.

Courtesy of LGM Engineering.

Europe’s largest shore power plant opened A new shore power plant for cruise ships has been officially inaugurated in Rostock-Warnemünde, Germany. The plant was opened with one of AIDA Cruises’ vessels, AIDAsol, during the 12th German National Maritime Conference on 10 May 2021.

The shore power plant, which was completed in summer 2020, is currently the largest in Europe. With an output of up to 20 megavolt amperes (MVA), two cruise ships can be supplied with electricity at the same time in Warnemünde at berths P7 and P8. Back in 2018, the cruise company, the state government of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock and Rostock Port signed a joint agreement to establish shore power supply for cruise vessels.

shore power where available or are technically prepared for it. The aim is to convert all ships built from 2000 onwards accordingly.

As part of its green cruising strategy, AIDA Cruises has been investing in a sustainable cruise operation for several years.

Further practical steps on the way to the zero-emission ship of the future are already in preparation, according to the company.

This year, AIDAnova will receive the first fuel cell to be used on an ocean-going cruise ship. In 2022, the largest battery storage system to date in cruise shipping will go into operation on board an AIDA ship. In addition, the company is already addressing the question of how regenerative fuels can be used on board cruise ships in the future.

“With our green cruising strategy, we have been investing in a sustainable cruise market for many years,” Felix Eichhorn, President of AIDA Cruises, commented. “The shore power plant in Rostock-Warnemünde is another important step after the facility in Hamburg on our way to an emission-neutral cruise that we want to achieve with our fleet.”

The use of shore power to supply ships with energy is said to be “a decisive step” for AIDA Cruises to reduce local emissions to zero during berthing over time, as a cruise ship typically stays in port around 40% of its operating time. Since 2017, AIDA Cruises has been using Europe’s first shore power plant in Hamburg-Altona with AIDAsol in regular operation. Currently, 10 ships in the AIDA fleet can use Photo: Rostock Port/nordlicht.

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Novatek and Sberbank collaborate on green projects

Ashtead invests £1 million in sonar imaging and subsea tech Ashtead Technology has invested over £1 million in a range of EdgeTech sonar imaging and underwater technology systems to enhance its equipment fleet. The systems include the 4205-tri-frequency and 4200-side scan sonar systems as well as the 2205-ROV and 2050-DSS side scan and sub-bottom systems.

The 2050-DSS comes with a combined towfish, digital telemetry that runs over a single coaxial cable, a 19-inch rack-mount topside interface, and EdgeTech’s DISCOVER acquisition software. The 2050-DSS can be integrated with several auxiliary sensors such as magnetometers and USBL responders. Additionally, an interface is fitted to the electronics so that the electronics and sensors can be mounted onto an ROV. Some of its applications include cable and pipeline surveys, marine construction surveys and pre and post dredging surveys.

HSM completes Blythe and Southwark platforms for IOG UK-based Independent Oil and Gas (IOG) has signed off the Blythe and Southwark platforms as mechanically complete. This follows the arrival of the Noble Hans Deul rig at Elgood in early April. The rig has already started drilling the first of five planned development wells in IOG’s Phase 1 project. The two normally unmanned installation (NUI) platforms were constructed by contractor HSM Offshore at its yard in Schiedam, Netherlands. For both platforms, after the suction pile foundations were fixed on the seabed and jacket legs cut to height, topsides lift operations were undertaken by the Seaway Strashnov heavy lift vessel.

Russian gas major Novatek has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Sberbank for financing on environmental protection, renewable energy development, and production of carbon-neutral products projects. The two companies will collaborate in environmental, social, and corporate governance matters, make joint social initiatives and green financing bids for climate change and environmentally linked projects.

Leonid Mikhelson, Novatek’s chairman of the management board, said; “This new MOU takes our mutual cooperation to another level and accords us the additional opportunities to implement NOVATEK’s social and environmental initiatives, which represent one of the core elements of decarbonizing our hydrocarbon value chain and meeting the company’s development strategy.”

Novatek and Sberbank also signed a MoU with Gazprombank on financing the construction of a gas chemical plant on the Yamal peninsula. The plan is to organize financing to construct a gas chemical plant in close proximity to Sabetta to produce low-carbon ammonia, hydrogen, as well as other gas chemistry products that reduce ghg emissions into the atmosphere.

Can’t wait to meet you The world is opening up and the Dutch maritime technology companies can’t wait to meet you again.

Come visit us in our Netherland Pavilion at: NEVA St. Petersburg 21 – 24 September 2021 Indonesia Maritime Expo 2021 Jakarta 6 – 8 October 2021 Kormarine Busan 19 - 22 October 2021 Offshore Energy Amsterdam 26 & 27 October 2021

Netherlands Maritime Technology The Netherlands Maritime Technology (NMT) trade association is the first port of call for and primary representative of the Dutch maritime technology sector.

Our 400+ members include shipyards, marine equipment suppliers and service providers, all united within a close and highly successful network.

Welcome aboard as you explore what NMT and its members can mean for you.

Europort Rotterdam 2 – 5 November 2021 Marintec Shanghai 7 – 10 December 2021

www.maritimetechnology.nl

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Concordia Damen signs contract for first ever inland hydrogen vessel Concordia Damen has signed a contract with Lenten Scheepvaart for the construction of the first ever inland waterway vessel to run on hydrogen.

The vessel, to be named MV Antonie, will be 135 metres long, weigh 3,700 tons and boast a revolutionary fuel cell propulsion. She will be used to transport salt between Delfzijl in the north of the Netherlands to Botlek in the Port of Rotterdam for Nouryon – a leading global chemical supplier.

Concordia Damen CEO Chris Kornet said of the contract, “At Concordia Damen we have always been at the forefront of bringing increased sustainability to our industry. I believe there will not be one single way to reduce emissions in our sector, but a number of approaches. Hydrogen is likely to play an important role in the achievement of zero emissions in inland shipping. Lenten Scheepvaart are to be commended for taking this leading role.”

Lenten Scheepvaart has received a subsidy for the construction of the vessel to the value of 4 million euros. The subsidy, from the Netherlands Governmental department of Infrastructure and Water Management, aims to stimulate the development the use of hydrogen as a fuel on the path towards zero emissions inland shipping. Likewise, the vessel and its operation will benefit from the subsidised hydrogen bunker station in Delfzijl.

Photo by EMEC, Colin Keldie.

Environment Agency reaching net zero The Environment Agency (EA) has pledged to default to low-carbon concrete when constructing flood defences and other critical infrastructure projects, provided they meet performance requirements, as it sets out its roadmap to hit net zero as an organisation by 2030. The comprehensive new roadmap demonstrates how the organisation will cut its carbon footprint by 45% by 2030.

With emissions from the supply chain accounting for a significant proportion of the Environment Agency’s current carbon footprint, contractors and suppliers will also be pushed to take action, with large contracts including commitments to reduce carbon footprint year-on-year.

More than half of the EA’s carbon emissions currently come from the construction of flood defences – and while the vital work to protect people and property from flooding will continue, there will also be an increasing focus on naturebased solutions that don’t require hard defences built from carbon-intensive concrete.

Royal spotlight on tidal energy The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have visited Orkney and the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in pursuit of solutions for tackling climate change and supporting the UK’s green economic recovery.

Their Royal Highnesses, Prince William and Kate Middleton, met with EMEC’s managing director, Neil Kermode, to hear about the test centre’s role in

developing an ocean energy industry and green hydrogen economy. Discussions centred around the potential for ocean energy as a new sustainable energy resource stimulating job creation and supply chain development in coastal communities.

Neil Kermode said: “It was a pleasure meeting the Duke and Duchess and introducing them to Orkney’s liv-

ing laboratory for sustainability and renewable energy. From wind, tidal and wave power to green hydrogen for clean carbon-free fuel, we were able to show Their Royal Highnesses sustainable solutions that will help tackle climate change and support green economic recovery, and introduce them to some of the people working in the sector locally.”

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New offshore wind farm to power Green Fuels for Denmark project

Ørsted and HOFOR (Greater Copenhagen Utility) entered into an agreement that will secure green power for part of the potential 1.3 GW Green Fuels for Denmark project to produce sustainable fuels in the Greater Copenhagen area.

of Amager. At the same time, it has been agreed that HOFOR may place the offshore wind farm’s substation at the premises of Avedøre Power Station.

Together, Ørsted and HOFOR will seek to realise both technical and trading-related synergies between the two projects. The future cooperation and the concrete design of the link between the wind farm and the PtX plant is subject to all regulatory as well as grid connection matters falling into place, the companies said.

Provided that a framework is established in Denmark promoting the development of sustainable fuels, the power from Aflandshage could enable parts of Green Fuels for Denmark’s second phase of 250 MW and meet the power demand for the project’s first phase.

As part of the agreement, Ørsted and HOFOR will work towards enabling Ørsted to offtake the power produced at HOFOR’s 250 MW Aflandshage offshore wind farm project located in the Oresund Strait, some ten kilometres from the southern tip

Equinor enters Chinese offshore wind market Equinor and the Chinese shipbuilder CIMC Raffles (Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore) have signed a strategic cooperation agreement to develop offshore wind projects in the Yellow Sea, off China’s Shandong province.

The Norway-based energy major has confirmed to our sister site OffshoreWIND.biz that the two companies have entered into an agreement to jointly tap into the offshore wind opportunities in the province that plans to allocate a total of 23 GW of offshore wind projects by 2025.

“We are looking forward to cooperating with CIMC Raffles a strong, local industrial partner in this area to jointly mature and develop early and at scale, offshore wind projects in the Shandong province”, Equinor said in a statement.

The company said the agreement with CIMC Raffles had the potential to support Equinor’s strategy to become a global offshore wind major by building scale in core areas and securing growth options in attractive markets for offshore wind.

“We are stepping up to become a global offshore wind major, and to deliver on our strategy we continue to assess different business opportunities globally”, the company said. Offshore wind opportunities in China have opened through the country’s ambitions to install over 12 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2020 and 40-65 GW by 2030.

Equinor is behind several operational and projects under development in offshore wind worldwide, including the world’s first floating wind farm (Hywind

Scotland) and the world’s largest floating wind farm currently under construction in Norway (Hywind Tampen).

As for CIMC Raffles, the company has been a part of the offshore wind market for a while now, mostly with its shipbuilding capabilities, but has recently also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the French company DOLFINES to cooperate on the commercial development of their activities in Europe and Asia to boost the floating wind sector.

CIMC Raffles is also building the next-generation offshore wind installation vessel for OIM Wind. In China, CIMC Raffles has four R&D centers and three shipyards that are suited to execute offshore renewable and oil & gas EPC projects.

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