VARD's offshore energy storage system cuts carbon emissions

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions from the shipping industry in half by 2050. The ambitious target requires a vast increase in the use of alternative fuels, as well as overall improvements in fuel economy.

Alongside this tightening of emissions regulations, batteries are fortunately becoming more readily available for installation on board ships. Taken together, this means that hybrid power solutions for offshore vessels have never been more in demand.

VARD has developed the SeaQ Energy Storage System (SeaQ ESS) for storing excess energy on board a vessel, or energy from shore connections, for later use. The SeaQ ESS enables ships to use excess energy alongside their conventional power supply, optimising fuel performance.

The demand for power on board a ship varies greatly. Considerable stress is placed on generators at certain times, while at other times generators are idle.

The SeaQ ESS, however, balances engine loads and limits idling time to maximise operational efficiency. The SeaQ system can also be used as backup power to perform peak shaving of rapid load variations, or for battery-only operations.

In compliance with classification societies and flag state regulations, the SeaQ system can be installed on most types of vessels, both retrofitted into existing vessels and integrated into the design of new vessels.

VARD has delivered the SeaQ ESS to several projects. In 2017, it was installed on Farstad Shipping’s Far Sun, a modern, energy efficient diesel-electric vessel. SeaQ has reduced the vessel’s environmental impact, particularly when loading and offloading during offshore operations.

The SeaQ ESS provides readily available power which helps ships to optimise hybrid power systems and maximise fuel performance under all operating conditions.

The SeaQ system can reduce a vessel’s fuel consumption by 15 to 20 per cent and cut greenhouse gas emissions correspondingly. Such a cut equals the removal of 600 to 800 cars from the road each year.

An additional positive effect of the SeaQ ESS is reduced noise from ships in port, due to ships being able to run on quiet electrical power.

With emission legislation steering the maritime industry to be more environment-friendly, the need for sophisticated energy solutions is increasing rapidly. To keep pace with these demands, vessels all over the world need scalable and compatible systems to transition towards hybrid power solutions.

VARD is a major, global shipbuilder and designer. Headquartered in Norway, with over 9 000 employees worldwide, VARD has shipbuilding facilities in Brazil, Norway, Romania and Vietnam.