North Sea Giant Gets The Switch EBL Technology

Yaskawa Environmental Energy / The Switch has supplied new cost-saving solution, based on a Electronic Bus Link (EBL), to North Sea Giant, one of the world’s largest subsea construction vessels.

This system will enable the 18,151 GWT vessel to change between its diesel engines, running just one of the engines during operations, when necessary, rather than the standard three it used at all times in the past, the company explained.

“For owners that want to optimize efficiency, operational uptime, cost control and reduce their environmental footprint, EBL is the perfect solution,” said Asbjørn Halsebakke, general manager, Yaskawa Environmental Energy / The Switch Norway.

“It works to connect the vessel’s DC-Hubs and diesel engines and ensure efficient ongoing operations, even if a critical fault occurs. It does this by splitting the on-board grids in a matter of microseconds, isolating faults and protecting the complete operational system. This offers significant savings on maintenance costs. Also, by rapidly connecting and disconnecting energy sources from one another, including batteries and engines, they can be optimized for efficiency. This eliminates the need for the operator to run three different units during all operations, saving on long-term fuel costs and reducing emissions.”

The Switch technology, supplied as part of a broader Wärtsilä solution, was installed in Haugesund, Norway, after a testing supervised by DNV GL.