Eidesvik orders Wärtsilä hybrid solution for construction vessel

Finland’s technology group Wärtsilä has been selected to engineer, supply, and commission a hybrid propulsion system for one of Eidesvik’s subsea construction vessels (CSVs).

Viking Neptun; Source: Eidesvik
Viking Neptun; Source: Wärtsilä

Wärtsilä said on Wednesday that Eidesvik had contracted the company to carry out the upgrade project on its Viking Neptun construction vessel.

The company added that the order was placed in August 2019 and it followed two similar hybrid upgrade contracts awarded to Wärtsilä in recent months.

The scope of the deal includes two 870 kWh battery packs and two 2.7 MW drives for the hybrid system pre-installed in containers.

Wärtsilä will also upgrade the existing switchboard, as well as the integrated automation and power management systems. According to the Finnish firm, the project is expected to be completed within a six-month period.

The 15,900 DWT Viking Neptun was built in 2015 and is fitted with Wärtsilä engines and low loss concept (LLC) electrical systems.

With Wärtsilä’s battery hybrid solution, the ship will be able to operate on a single generator set together with batteries during dynamic positioning (DP) operations.

The hybrid solution will deliver fuel cost savings and better environmental performance, Wärtsilä noted.

Vermund Hjelland, VP of technology and development at Eidesvik AS, said: “It is very important to our company that we play our part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from shipping, which is why we give a high level of priority to sustainable operations for our fleet. We have worked closely with Wärtsilä for many years, and we were comfortable with again selecting them for this hybrid upgrade project.”

To remind, Eidesvik won a deal from Norwegian subsea contractor Ocean Installer for the Viking Neptun back in December 2018. Under the contract, the vessel will begin work with Ocean Installer in early 2020 and 2021.


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