The technology group Wärtsilä has been selected to engineer, supply, and commission a hybrid propulsion system for an offshore sector vessel, the company said in its release.
Norway-based Eidesvik AS has contracted Wärtsilä to carry out the upgrade project on its 'Viking Neptun' construction vessel. The order was placed in August 2019. This latest order follows two similar hybrid upgrade contracts awarded to Wärtsilä in recent months. The 15,900 DWT 'Viking Neptun' was built in 2015. It is fitted with Wärtsilä engines and Wärtsila's Low Loss Concept (LLC) electrical systems.
By choosing 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. Integration of the new system with the existing Wärtsilä control systems will be seamless. The Wärtsilä hybrid solution will deliver customer benefits in the form of fuel cost savings and better environmental performance. Furthermore, maintenance costs will also be reduced since the load on the engines will be more efficient and the running hours will be less.
The Wärtsilä scope 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. The project is expected to be completed within a six months period.
Wärtsilä in brief:
Wärtsilä is a global leader in smart technologies and complete lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. By emphasising sustainable innovation, total efficiency and data analytics, Wärtsilä maximises the environmental and economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers. In 2018, Wärtsilä's net sales totalled EUR 5.2 billion with approximately 19,000 employees. The company has operations in over 200 locations in more than 80 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.