Harvey Gulf’s vessel to be ‘the first LNG-fueled PSV hybrid retrofit in Americas’

U.S.-based marine transportation company Harvey Gulf has selected a Wärtsilä solution for what it claims will be the first LNG-fueled platform supply vessel hybrid retrofit in the Americas.

A hybrid retrofit installation, featuring an energy storage solution from the technology group Wärtsilä, will enhance the efficiency and environmental performance of the Harvey Gulf-owned platform supply vessel Harvey Energy, Harvey Gulf said on Tuesday.

The vessel is the first LNG-fueled, and will be the first hybrid retrofitted, PSV in the Americas, Harvey Gulf stated. The order with Wärtsilä was booked in April 2019.

“The company has ordered a GE battery system for the Harvey Supporter as well,” Harvey Gulf CEO, Shane Guidry, commented.

“We are pleased to work with Wärtsilä and GE to deliver America’s first two battery systems to oil & gas service vessels,” he added.

According to Harvey Gulf, the installation of a Wärtsilä 1450 kW battery hybrid solution will reduce the ship’s exhaust emissions, fuel consumption, and noise level. The overall fuel cost savings are expected to be in the range of 10 to 20 percent. The battery capacity will be sufficient to sail in and out of harbor on electric power, while also providing hotel load electricity when docked, which will reduce noise and pollution levels in the harbor area.

Furthermore, the ability to operate on battery power will assist maneuverability during critical dynamic positioning (DP) operations at the offshore platform.

Included in the solution are the Energy Storage System, the Energy Management System, the transformer and drive, all mounted within a single container. The project will also include integration with the existing Wärtsilä Power Distribution, Power Management, and Integrated Automation Systems. The Wärtsilä equipment is scheduled for delivery in December 2019.

“We partnered with Wärtsilä several years ago due to their significant experience in LNG and dual fuel engine technology, which fit very well with Harvey Gulf’s mission to have the most fuel efficient environmentally friendly fleet of platform supply vessels in the Americas. When we decided to enhance these traits by installing hybrid technology, Wärtsilä was the natural choice,” said Shane Guidry.

“In addition, Wärtsilä’s excellent knowledge of our company and our business has resulted in very strong service support after the vessel delivery. This support has proven itself in zero unscheduled downtime on the five LNG fueled PSVs in Harvey Gulf’s fleet. We believe our mutual project will have a considerable impact in the market and will further the environmental drive towards sustainable solutions in the offshore market space.”

Wärtsilä’s hybrid solutions are based on a fully integrated hybrid power module. This combines engines, an energy storage system using batteries, and power electronics optimized to work together through a Wärtsilä developed energy management system. While the Harvey Energy will be the first LNG-fueled vessel of the type in the Americas to have a hybrid retrofit, Wärtsilä has already completed a number of hybrid retrofits for PSVs in Europe, the vessel owner said.

It is also worth reminding that Seacor Marine in June 2018 completed the upgrade of the Seacor Maya OSV to hybrid lithium battery power propulsion. The Seacor Maya was issued its Interim Class Certificate from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) with additional notation Battery-Li.

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