Electric overhaul for vessel at Por t of Gothenburg

The Por t of Gothenburg Authority recently announced that after considering replacing M/S Hamnen, an inspection vessel that has been in ser vice at Sweden’s biggest por t since 1979, the decision has now been reached to conver t it to run on electric power and ensure it remains in por t ser vice for many years to come

At present, the vessel is in operation for around 1,200 hours a year, consuming approximately 25,000 litres of diesel This represents 67 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions

“Hamnen is in really good condition, and there’s no other vessel that’s better suited to its assignment By conver ting it rather than replacing it, we fur ther reduce emissions, as the vessel will then not be taken into use by a new owner, ” commented David Falk, M/S Hamnen's skipper

The 60-foot-long vessel will be taken to the Ö-var vet shipyard on the island of Öckerö in the Gothenburg archipelago later in the year for the engine overhaul, a project expected to cost $1 6 million The vessel will be back in ser vice in the second quar ter of 2024

At the shipyard, the vessel’s engine room is expected to undergo a total transformation, with the existing diesel engine being replaced by a new electric motor with an output of 250 kW A four to five-tonne bank of batteries with 520 kWh of storage capacity will also be installed, which can be supplemented by additional batter y capacity in the future if required

While the goal of the conversion is to ensure the workhorse vessel runs on batter y power for 90 percent of the time, an auxiliar y diesel engine that runs on hydrotreated vegetable oil will be installed to cater for exceptional cases, special call-outs, unforeseen events or extreme weather conditions

“The strength of Hamnen is its versatility, and the fact that we ’ re always at hand when things happen The vessel has many different duties, but essentially it’s there to represent the por t authority and to make sure that the rules set out in the por t regulations are obser ved,” added Falk

Hamnen’s regular ber th position in the por t of Gothenburg will also be fitted with a 63 amp charger, which is sufficient for charging between regular assignments

While Hamnen is at the shipyard, the vessel’s crew will be using a smaller replacement boat to per form their inspection assignment at Sweden’s busiest seapor t Last year, the por t handled a total of 885,000 TEUs, an increase of seven percent The electrification of Hamnen is another step in the quest to achieve the por t’s climate goal of a 70 percent reduction in por t-related emissions by 2030 The por t is implementing numerous green transformation projects, including joining the Green Corridor initiative, to ensure it remains sustainable www por tofgothenburg com