Page 39: of Marine News Magazine (April 2023)

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Tech File

Offshore Charging

Offshore Vessel Charging

System Passes Harbor Tests

U.K.-based marine electrical engineering company MJR charging of battery bank installed on the CTV.

Power and Automation announced the successful harbor “With safety embedded throughout the system, all in- trials of its platform-mounted automated offshore power terconnection, mooring, automation, monitoring, and and charging system. safety systems, including wireless communication and

The solution is designed to convert energy delivered emergency disconnection, were vigorously tested and vali- directly from offshore wind farms, and enable all heavy dated during the trails,” MJR Power and Automation said.

hybrid and electric crew transfer vessels (CTV) and other Speaking about the successful trial, Paul Cairns, man- offshore support vessels to connect and get powered by aging director at MJR said, “By providing a solution to electricity generated directly by offshore wind turbines. power vessels and charge batteries in the ? eld—primarily

The company said the system will also enable offshore during periods when they would otherwise be idle—MJR’s power to be supplied to other support vessels allowing offshore power and charging system will prove to be a key them to turn off their diesel generators while standing by, enabler for the large-scale deployment of eCTVs and larger in the same way, that they can connect to shore power. electric hybrid vessels across the offshore sector.

MJR Power and Automation claims the system will revo- “Put simply, if 50% of the U.K.’s CTV ? eet converted lutionize the marine sector by enabling the transition to hy- to electric operation, this would eliminate approximately brid and fully electric vessels for zero-emission operations. 131,100 tonnes of CO2 each year,” Cairns continued.

The harbor trials were conducted in the Port of Blyth using “These ? gures are staggering and highlight that such tech- the TIA Elizabeth CTV owned and operated by Tidal Transit. nology, and the adoption of it, will be pivotal in reducing

According to MJR Power and Automation, the set-up emissions in the ? eld and helping owners, operators and at the port replicated the installation of the offshore power governments to achieve their net zero targets.” and charging system on an offshore wind turbine and/or MJR’s solution is among several similar offshore charg- substation, validating the safe connection, mooring, and ing stations being developed for offshore operations, in- cluding the Stillstrom charging buoy from Maersk Supply

Service, a part of A.P. Moller-Maersk, demonstrated with

Ørsted to supply overnight power to one of offshore wind leader’s service operations vessels (SOV).

With successful harbor trials now complete, MJR said it will now demobilize the equipment and prepare for instal- lation on an operational offshore wind farm substation in the North Sea. The company did not say when the system would be installed offshore.

In addition to charging CTVs, with a maximum charging time of two hours, MJR said it was also developing a simi- lar system delivering higher powers for providing offshore power and charging for larger vessels, including SOVs.

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