Becoming the most sustainable shipbuilder means promoting environmental responsibility in all that we do. It means improving the processes by which we build our vessels; making them cleaner, more efficient. It means addressing the performance of our ships; reducing their noise and emissions and lowering their fuel consumption. It also means providing you with solutions to support the responsible, renewable production of our energy - safely, sustainably, reliably and with optimal efficiency.
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What about the energy transition? Will it accelerate to accomplish the ambitions set out by governments or will it take a different path? One thing is for sure, we live in turbulent times where past performances are no guarantee of future results.
In these times of transformation, it is important to share knowledge. It is important to collaborate to find solutions for today’s problems. This magazine provides you with market insights. The whole of the offshore energy sector is covered on the following pages. From renewables like marine energy and offshore wind, the traditional offshore energy industry, but there is also focus on the supply chain also the maritime sector and subsea sector.
Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference (OEEC) is the event related to this magazine. This year’s content theme of OEEC is ‘Changing Currents’. During the event on 28 & 29 November in Amsterdam the offshore energy sector gathers. It is the event for the entire offshore energy industry and an opportunity to reach business leaders, highly qualified experts and professionals across global markets. Next issue we will share more on the conference program.
The editorial teamLook no further!
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To ensure a sustainable future the energy transition is set in motion. Being future-proof within the oil, gas, maritime, offshore wind and marine energy industries, means being part of the energy transition and investing in sustainable solutions. This is the way forward, for our business and planet.
This is why the energy transition and sustainable solutions are the main topics the new platform focuses on. Our communities – the offshore, maritime and energy industries – are front-runners in this change. A large part of the energy transition will take place at sea and sustainable innovations will reshape the maritime sector. By combining markets, we connect the gears that set the energy transition in motion.
Maritime ingenuity is needed to construct wind farms. Electric power is transmitted by subsea cabling. Oil and gas is the fuel that makes the energy transition happen. Other forms of renewable energy, like marine en-
ergy, are needed to meet energy demands. Without dredging, ports cannot function. Everything is connected.
The Offshore Energy platform is a connector of communities. With media like this magazine and offshoreWIND.biz, offshore-energy.biz and dredgingtoday.com. Next to that, there is the event Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference, held 28 and 29 November in RAI Amsterdam.
Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference (OEEC) is a high-quality event for the offshore energy industry. With major players from offshore wind, marine energy, oil & gas and the maritime sector, the exhibition is the place do business and connect with relevant stakeholders from different markets.
During the event, the latest developments and innovations from the offshore energy sector are presented by experts and thought leaders.
The energy transition is a not only a development that is transforming the industry, but companies too. Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference is the platform for companies that focus on future proof business opportunities for the offshore energy industry. The conference program provides unique insights into the latest trends, all in a world that is changing fast.
What's more, Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference is proud to be backed by the Government of the Netherlands, who considers OEEC the flagship event when it comes to the energy sector. This year, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency will have a large presence during the event, providing even more opportunities for attendees to connect with key players in the industry and stay ahead of the curve.
For more information on Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference 2023 check the www.offshore-energy.biz/ oeec2023.
Change is the only constant. This is also true for the offshore energy industry. A new energy mix in which renewables are leading and the drive for more sustainability are transforming the industry. The need for companies to innovate and adapt are key in remaining relevant and future-proof.
As the shipping industry seeks to reduce its carbon footprint, biofuels have emerged as a promising solution that can be implemented without significant changes to existing infrastructure. “Biofuels are actually a low-hanging fruit insofar as infrastructure compatibility is concerned,” said Dr. Sanjay Kuttan, Chief Technology Officer at the Global Center for Maritime Decarbonization during a recent DNV Maritime webinar.
“While infrastructure is not a concern, policy gaps need to be improved to allow for more widespread adoption of biofuels.”
As explained, the challenge with biofuels lies in their heterogeneity. As generation two and three biofuels emerge, made from feedstocks such as cooking oil or horticultural waste
from liquid cellulose, the variety of biofuels produced poses a challenge for quality testing.
With the adoption of biofuels potentially hampered by testing challenges, the industry is calling for the establishment of industry-wide standards for quality testing. Despite this hurdle, experts remain confident that biofu-
els will play a key role in reducing the shipping industry’s carbon footprint in the years to come.
The center is working on a pilot project related to the deployment of biofuels for shipping. The project involves testing different types of biofuels, including fatty acid methyl esters, hy-
drotreated vegetable oils, and crude algae oil. Several bunkering operations have been conducted, and the project leaders are currently working on a framework for biofuel purchasers that includes traceability technologies for quality, quantity, and carbon abatement assurance. This framework will help provide transparency in the supply chain for biofuels.
The project is targeting completion by the end of the year when a report on the findings is expected to be released. The project is being implemented in
cooperation with shipping companies CMA CGM and Anglo-American.
As explained by Kuttan, it is actually an easy pathway to deploy biofuels when compared to ammonia or methanol, and hydrogen. Since 2016, there have been around 20 publically-known trial uses of biofuels by multiple shipping companies.
“We spoke to almost all of them and we’re trying to understand why no more traction,” Kuttan said, recognizing that the supply and demand
remain an issue. The availability of biofuel feedstocks is limited due to competition from other industries, such as agriculture, which can create supply chain challenges for shippers.
That being said, there is a need for a clear demand signal from shipowners for the production and availability of biofuels to be scaled up. And for that certainty in demand to be created the International Maritime Organization (IMO) must create clarity around the role of biofuels in the decarbonization of shipping providing security for shipowners.
However, upon ‘digging deeper’ the project developers found that another issue with regard to the slow adoption of biofuels was the lacking quality assurance that the biofuel purchased was actually ‘green’.
Global standards
There is also a lack of harmonized global standards. Currently, there is no globally accepted standard or certification for verifying the sustainable production of biofuels. This creates challenges for shippers, who may have to navigate different standards and requirements across different jurisdictions.
In addition, a massive hurdle to overcome within the regulatory space is compatibility with existing regulations. Existing regulations may not take into account the specific characteristics of biofuels, which can differ significantly from traditional fossil fuels. For example, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 8217 fuel standard, which is widely used in the marine industry, does not address many of the parameters that are relevant to biofuels.
“The counting thing needs to be sorted out so that everyone’s convinced that they will get some benefits from burning biofuels and with the move towards the next generation of biofuels people are getting less worried about competing with the food chain,” Kuttan added.
There have been some positive developments from last year. Namely, the use of biofuels and blends in vessels has raised concerns over potential increases in nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, which is regulated by MARPOL Annex VI.
A new Unified Interpretation (UI) approved by the IMO’s Marine Environment Committee in June 2022 now allows blends containing up to 30% biofuel to be treated the same as fossil fuel oils, without the need for NOx
emission assessments or exemptions from Flag State. Additionally, B30 to B100 biofuels can be used in engines certified in accordance with MARPOL Annex VI Regulation 13, as long as there are no changes to NOx critical components or settings.
In conclusion, the viability of biofuels for shipping remains a topic of debate in the shipping industry and among policymakers. While biofuels offer the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the sustainability of the shipping industry, their widespread adoption faces several challenges, including the availability of sufficient feedstocks, scalability, and cost-effectiveness.
Several pilot projects and initiatives are underway to test the viability of biofuels for shipping, and some early results are promising. Nevertheless, it
will be crucial for stakeholders to collaborate and invest in research and development to address the remaining challenges and maximize the potential of biofuels.
Furthermore, it is important to note that biofuels alone cannot solve the shipping industry’s sustainability challenges. A comprehensive approach that incorporates various sustainable technologies and practices will be necessary to achieve long-term sustainability goals.
Overall, biofuels have the potential to play a significant role in reducing the shipping industry’s carbon footprint, but their viability will depend on the industry’s ability to address the remaining challenges and make significant investments in sustainable solutions.
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In response to the expected strengthening of decarbonization goals for the shipping industry, South Korea has released a strategy aiming to decarbonize its shipping industry by 2050.
The strategy is being released ahead of the anticipated 80th meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in July 2023, which is expected to raise the bar for global shipping and align its decarbonization goals with the Paris Agreement.
As a result, the IMO is expected to raise its 2050 carbon emission reduction target for international shipping from 50% to 100%. The introduction of a
carbon tax is also one of the likely scenarios for shipping moving forward as a way of accelerating the adoption of green fuels.
Regulations in Europe are also tightening with shipping included in the EU ETS in line with the European Green Deal. Acting preemptively to the expected shifts in the shipping industry, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of the Republic of Korea (MOF) released a strategy to decarbonize the shipping sector by
2050. According to the ministry, this is the first time such a target has been promoted in an Asian country.
The four major pillars of the strategy are the transition to an eco-friendly fleet, improving investment conditions for the shipping industry, expansion of eco-friendly technology and future fuel infrastructure, and establishment of carbon-free sea routes and international cooperation.
The first step in the strategy is the transition to an eco-friendly fleet by converting ships owned by national shipping companies into low-carbon and carbon-free fuelled ships, as a way of ensuring the country’s fleet remains competitive on a global scene.
The ministry said that 867 oceangoing ships weighing around 5,000 tons, which are subject to international regulations, would be candidates for conversion. In order to respond to the EU ETS regulations, a total of 118 vessels are planned to become eco-friendly by 2030, which is set to include preferential conversion of 60% of its liner fleets in Europe and the Americas. In addition, the goal is to replace old ocean going ships with 100% eco-friendly ships by 2050.
For newbuilds, it is planned to equip them with dual-fuel propulsion enabling them to utilize eco-friendly fuels such as e-methanol and LNG by 2030, and promote the introduction of ammonia and hydrogen ships in line with the technological advancements in the sector.
The roadmap also plans to support the eco-friendly remodeling of ships that are less than 10 years old and can convert to eco-friendly fuel and improve ship energy efficiency by installing eco-friendly equipment.
For this year, South Korea has earmarked KRW 13 billion ($10 million) to finance the conversion of over 7 ships in its national oceangoing fleet, MoF said. A call for projects will be open from 22 February to 27 September seeking bids to convert ships to run on eco-friendly fuels, such as LNG or hydrogen, or install marine pollution reduction technology.
The winners would be selected by a screening committee based on the assessment of the eco-friendliness of the ship, the business soundness of the shipping company, and the feasibility of the business plan.
Meanwhile, in order to entice the ecofriendly transition of national shipping companies, subsidies (7-10%) are planned to be implemented according to the eco-friendly grades (grades 1 to 4) certified by the Korea Maritime Transportation Safety Authority (KOMSA).
The preliminary certification grade of eco-friendly ships will be determined
by the KOMSA, and detailed projects will be carried out by the Korea Maritime Promotion Corporation, the ministry said.
One of the key considerations in the transition to greener ships is cost, and as such the ministry plans to provide support to its shipping companies to facilitate investment through policy and finance frameworks.
Due to the high cost of conversion, estimated to reach KRW 1.8 trillion by 2030, the government plans to expand support through public funds and financial institutions to provide ship loans and lower interest rates.
Furthermore, the government plans to establish a new fund of up to KRW 1 trillion to support small and medium-sized shipping companies’ eco-friendly transition. Potential public-private partnership projects are also being considered for small and medium-sized companies to help accelerate the transition.
Under the third pillar, the strategy will be supporting the development of eco-friendly technologies and infrastructure for future fuels. The government is funding a project to develop low-carbon and non-carbon ship technologies, including LNG, hybrids, ammonia propulsion, and hydrogen fuel cells over the period of 2022-2031. The plans cover the expansion of port facilities to prepare for fuel conversion to e-methanol, ammonia, and hydrogen. What is more, the strategy will promote the
development of biofuel technology and the expansion of floating carbonfree fuel infrastructure. Additionally, the government plans to improve laws covering the entire life cycle of marine fuel.
Establishment of carbon-free sea routes and international cooperation
The fourth pillar is aimed at promoting the creation of green corridors with international partners such as the one agreed between the Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA), the marine cargo partnership between the Port of Tacoma and the Port of Seattle, and the Busan Port Authority. Under the partnership, Korea and the United States will study the feasibility of creating a green cargo shipping corridor and support the adoption of green fuels on these routes. The
country aims to expand this type of partnerships across Europe in Asia.
The strategy for fully decarbonizing shipping will be executed in a collaborative effort between the government and the private sector. Industry CEOs and ministerial-level consultative bodies will periodically assess the implementation status and incorporate enhancements accordingly, the ministry added. Overall, the government plans to invest KRW 8 trillion by 2030 and a total of KRW 71 trillion by 2050 for the alternative construction of ecofriendly ships. The strategy is expected to have a positive impact on the domestic shipping and shipbuilding industries, with economic effects of up to KRW 158 trillion by 2050.
The newly released strategy builds on the 2030 Green Ship-K Promotion Strategy, which the ministry released in 2020. The initiative had initially set out to phase out greenhouse gas emissions of up to 70 percent by 2030 by exploring advanced emission-free technologies in ship design, future fuel, renewable energy, and equipment.
Under the plan, MOF wants to facilitate the transition of both the public and private sectors by turning 15% of the Korean-flagged ships (528 out of 3,542 ships) into greener ones. Upon successful implementation of the strategy, MOF forecasted that the GHG emission in 2050 would stand at around 5.93 million tons, half of that in 2017 (11.81 million tons).
By Jasmina Ovcina Mandra
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The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) is busy with bringing forward its Atlantic Marine Energy Test Site (AMETS), a floating wind and wave energy technology test site which has been in development for several years now. Along with offshore surveys scheduled for next month, SEAI has also commenced work on procuring an onshore substation and a floating LiDAR for AMETS.
The Atlantic Marine Energy Test Site was initially planned to be a grid-connected site for testing wave energy technologies in real offshore conditions. The maximum electricity export capacity for the entire test site is currently 10 MW, under a grid connection agreement with ESBN that has been in place since 2011.
SEAI obtained a foreshore lease for the site in 2015 to test wave energy technology and install export cables. Planning permission for the onshore infrastructure was granted in 2017.
In 2018, SEAI started working on expanding the scope of the site to also include floating wind technology.
“AMETS was initially envisaged as a grid connected Test Site for pre-commercial wave technologies. However, Wave Energy Conversion (WEC) technology has had slower than expected development over the last 10 years.
Given the location of the Test Site in one of the world’s most energetic environments, and the water depths across the site, AMETS has been identified as also being suitable for testing Floating Offshore Wind (FOW) devic-
es”, SEAI states in a scoping report issued last year.
New floating wind tech developer sought after Saipem moved its project to France
Back in 2019, a consortium led by the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) secured funding to test Saipem’s floating wind technology at the test site with the deployment time planned for last year.
However, in 2021, Saipem moved the technology demonstration to a test site in France, prompting EMEC, SEAI
and the consortium partners to invite expressions of interest from other developers who want to be part of their project, named AFLOWT (Accelerating market uptake of Floating Offshore Wind Technology).
For AFLOWT, the project partners have a requirement to complete an Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) before applying for a foreshore licence to test floating wind technology at AMETS. The EIAR will accompany the application expected to be submitted in 2023, under Ireland’s new Maritime Area Planning (MAP) bill.
SEAI and the AFLOWT partners will use a project design envelope (PDE) approach for the licence to enable a
wider range of floating offshore wind technologies to be installed at the test site. Located offshore Ireland’s west coast, in Mayo County, AMETS has two testing areas; AMETS A, located 16 kilometres northwest of Belderra Strand in a water depth of up to 100 metres, and AMETS B, located 6 kilometres off Belderra Strand where the water depth reaches 50 metres.
The grid connection infrastructure has yet to be installed, so the work on the site over the past few years has been focused on data collection and moving forward with the activities on obtaining the licence for floating wind testing. In June 2022, SEAI issued the scoping report on for the AFLOWT project’s EIAR which also supports its PDE approach for the licence.
According to the report, SEAI is likely to seek for the grid connection capacity of the test site to increase to 20 MW and could designate Test Site A for floating wind technology, while Test Site B would be used to test wave energy converters (WECs). The site investigation and resource data collection work now underway is being carried out primarily for the EIAR that will accompany the application for the floating wind licence.
According to a Marine Notice recently published by the Irish government, SEAI will start site investigation work at the two AMETS areas and the cable corridor on or around 2 March, subject to weather conditions. The survey works will be performed by MERC Environmental Consultants and the Marine Institute and are expected to be completed over a three-day period.
The campaign will consist of benthic, geotechnical, and geophysical surveys. The benthic survey will consist of taking 40 subtidal ‘Day Grab’ samples to identify macrofauna particle size and organic content. The work will be conducted by Dúlra na Mara, a shallow draft survey vessel.
Geotechnical and geophysical site investigations will be carried out by the survey vessel RV Celtic Explorer. The geophysical survey work will consist of running side-scan sonar, multibeam swath bathymetry, sub-bottom profiling and cone penetrating testing work.
On 22 February, SEAI opened a tender looking for consultancy and engineering services for the onshore substa-
tion which will connect AMETS to the grid. Under the contract resulting from this tender, valued at EUR 1 million, the consultant will be wholly responsible for the delivery of the project management and engineering consultancy services for the development of the substation.
With the preliminary design already completed, the contractor will be responsible for executing all the remaining required stages of the project, from outline design development and tender activities to construction and handover. SEAI is also currently pre-
paring for a tender, to be launched at a later time, through which it plans to procure a floating LiDAR.
The AMETS site owner is currently gathering information and interest from companies and consortia capable of installing, operating and maintaining a floating LiDAR and providing “data as a service” for the data collected. The floating LiDAR will be deployed at the AMETS Test Site A, located 16 kilometres northwest of Belderra Strand, with the aim of accurately recording wind speeds and direction up to 300 meters above sea level.
This will enable SEAI to provide de tailed wind data to technology developers planning on testing their structures at AMETS. While the test site is not yet in operation for developers but SEAI can offer interested developers a suite of detailed information such as live met-ocean data measurements, numerical wave modelling reports including wave propagation and wave energy assessments, offshore site investigations including vibrocores and multi-beam surveys.
By Adrijana Buljan
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Norway’s state-owned energy giant Equinor has made a new oil and gas discovery near the Fram field in the North Sea off Norway, using an Odfjell Drilling-owned rig. This is Equinor’s eighth discovery in the area since 2019.
Equinor has concluded the drilling of a wildcat well well 35/10-9 on the Heisenberg prospect in production licence 827 S, where Equinor holds an ownership interest of 51 per cent, while its partner, DNO Norge, holds the remaining 49 per cent. This is the second exploration well in this licence, which was awarded in APA 2015.
The Norwegian giant secured consent for exploration drilling in November 2022 for this prospect. The wells were drilled using Odfjell Drilling’s Deepsea Stavanger rig. The water depth at the site is 368 metres. The well was drilled 10 kilometres northwest of the Fram field and about 140 kilometres northwest of Bergen.
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) revealed on Thursday, 14 March 2023, that the objective of the well 35/10-9 was to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks in the Hordaland Group from the Paleogene. The well encountered a 6-metre gas column over an oil column of around 8 meters
in the Hordaland Group in sandstone layers totalling 14 metres, with moderate reservoir properties.
According to the NPD, the gas/oil contact was encountered at 1,557 metres below sea level, however, the oil/water contact was not encountered. The preliminary estimates place the size of the discovery between 3.8 and 13.3 million Sm3 recoverable oil equivalent.
Based on the NPD’s statement, the licensees will consider delineation of the discovery and tie-in to existing infrastructure in the area. While the well was not formation-tested, extensive data acquisition and sampling have been carried out.
Furthermore, the well 35/10-9 was drilled to a vertical depth of 1,779 metres below sea level and a measured depth of 1,809 metres. It was terminated in the Rogaland Group from the Palaeocene. The well has been permanently plugged and abandoned. The Deepsea Stavanger rig will now drill wildcat well 6406/5-2 in production licence 255B in the Norwegian Sea, where Equinor is the operator.
Equinor’s second discovery near the Troll field in 2023
In a separate statement, Equinor confirmed that it had struck oil and gas again near the Troll field in the North Sea. The volumes are estimated between 24 and 84 million barrels of oil equivalent, with slightly more oil than gas.
The Norwegian giant claims that this discovery is considered “commercially interesting,” partly because it can utilise existing infrastructure connected to the Troll B platform. However, an appraisal well is needed to get a more precise estimate of the size before it can be concluded whether the volumes can be recovered. Therefore, the partners are considering drilling the appraisal well in 2024.
Geir Sørtveit, Equinor’s senior vice president for exploration and production west, remarked: “Our Troll exploration play keeps delivering. With discoveries in eight out of nine exploration wells, we are approaching a success rate of 90 per cent.
“We plan to further explore the area, while looking at possible development solutions for the discoveries that have been made. We have a good infrastructure in the area and can quickly bring competitive barrels from here to the market at low cost and with low CO2 emissions.”
The Norwegian player points out that five of the eight discoveries – Echino South, Swisher, Røver North, Blasto, Toppand, Kveikje and Røver South –have been made in licences awarded through APA rounds. This discovery comes just over a month since Equinor together with partners made the Røver South discovery in the same area. Through acquisitions two weeks ago, Equinor increased its ownership interests in four of the discoveries made in the area.
Fifth consecutive discovery in DNO’s core area
Equinor’s partner, DNO, also confirmed the oil and gas discovery at the Heisenberg prospect in the Norwegian North Sea in a separate statement, elaborating that Heisenberg was its fifth consecutive exploration success in the Troll-Gjøa area following the 2023 Røver Sør and 2021 Røver Nord discoveries in PL923 (DNO 20 per cent), as well as the 2022 discoveries of Kveikje in PL293B (DNO 29 per cent) and Ofelia in PL929 (DNO 10 per cent).
As one of the largest acreage holders in the Troll-Gjøa area, DNO has scheduled four more exploration wells in this North Sea exploration hotspot during 2023. The next of these exploration wells, Carmen, will spud in license PL1148 (DNO 30 per cent) next month.
By Melisa Cavcic
Shell has been doing business in the offshore wind market for a while now, with a portfolio of projects in different stages in Europe, the Americas, and South Korea. The latter is not the only country in the Asia Pacific region where Shell is eyeing to build wind farms at sea, however, as the oil and gas major holds stakes in at least three offshore wind companies in Japan and the Philippines.
In its annual results for 2022, released in the 2nd week of march, Shell has once again listed subsidiaries and
other related undertakings, including businesses that the company owns directly and those held through its busi-
ness divisions, as well as companies wholly owned by Shell and those held jointly with partners.
Among the many offshore wind project companies in which the British oil giant holds stakes are also three located in two more countries in the Asia Pacific region, where Shell has so far been active in this industry only in South Korea. According to the list, the company has held an 80 per cent
stake in Fukuoka Offshore Wind Power No. 1 K.K (Ltd) since 2021, according to information available online and published in Shell’s annual results for the previous year.
Shell & their partners
Since last year, Shell also owns 50 per cent in a company named Ajigasawa Offshore Wind Power Generation K.K in Japan, as well as in an offshore wind-dedicated company in the Philippines, named Tablas Strait Offshore Wind Power Corporation, where Shell holds 39 per cent.
Our sibling site offshoreWIND.biz has contacted Shell via email for more details on the company’s offshore wind plans in the two countries and its partners in Japan and the Philippines. The company is yet to respond.
According to the World Bank’s Offshore Wind Roadmap, released last year, the Philippines has the potential to deploy as much as 21 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2040 and 40 GW by 2050. In November 2022, the country’s resident Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
gave a green light to the Department of Energy to proceed with its plan to explore and develop the offshore wind potential in the Philippines.
The president’s move came following the Department of Energy’s report that there were 42 approved offshore wind contracts with an indicated capacity of 31 GW, with strong interest from the private sector, including developers from Denmark, Norway, and the UK.
In Japan, there is about 128 GW of bottom-fixed offshore wind potential and 424 GW of floating offshore wind potential, according to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). The Japanese government has set a target of 10 GW of offshore wind by 2030 and 30-45 GW by 2040, with a few auctions already completed and more coming up.
In January this year, the country saw its first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, the 140 MW Akita Noshiro, going into operation.
By Adrijana Buljan'The Philippines has the potential to deploy as much as 21 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2040'Photo by Shell
Amogy Inc., a Brooklyn-based developer of energy-dense ammonia power solutions, is making waves in the maritime industry with its ammonia-to-power system which has a massive potential to decarbonize shipping operations. They just revealed its project which involves retrofitting a 1957-built tugboat that uses diesel generators and electric motors, with its zero-emission ammonia-to-power system.
Amogy’s core technology is a compact chemical reactor that cracks ammonia into hydrogen. The hydrogen is then sent immediately into a fuel cell, forgoing the need for intermediate hydrogen storage. The technology is targeting the hard-to-abate sectors and has sparked enormous interest from the shipping community. The tugboat demonstration project is being pursued as part of Amogy’s desire to mature the system and scale it up to transfer it to ships.
“We are scaling up our technology three times from the version used in the
semi-truck demonstration earlier in the year – the team is working hard to make sure the technology is working smoothly and meeting all the safety requirements,” Seonghoon Woo, Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder of Amogy, told Offshore Energy.
Tugboat
The tugboat will be taking an initial voyage in an inland waterway in New York later this year as Amogy vows to bring the first ammonia-powered ship to life. “What we’re most excited about is the fact that we’re having the maiden voy-
age of the first ammonia-powered tugboat. Our goal is to see that the boat runs smoothly and we’ll take it one step at a time in making improvements as necessary.”
Amogy has set a target for full commercialization of its technology by 2024 and broader adoption of ammonia in the maritime industry. However, given the ambitious time scale the company is focused on making sure the technology is reliable and meets all safety requirements before it’s ready for commercialization.
Interview
'We’re attracting interest from some of world’s largest maritime companies'
“Our primary focus right now is the successful launch of the vessel later this year. We have learned much in the two years since the company was founded about ammonia-to-power systems and the technology involved. We will learn even more from this latest project. As nations grapple with both energy security needs and the desire to decarbonize, our technology solution can achieve both,” Woo said.
“With the knowledge we’re gaining, we are confident that we can continue to scale the technology for more and more uses and reach commercialization later next year. We’re excited about the interest we’re receiving from some of
the largest maritime companies in the world.” Commenting on the technological challenges ahead that need to be overcome to scale up the use of ammonia as fuel for shipping, Woo said the interest was growing in conjunction with greater awareness about ammonia.
“We are also doing our best to educate policymakers about ammonia, that it is a safe and clean option for the maritime industry. So far, the maritime industry has experience handling ammonia as a fertilizer, but this is its first introduction as a fuel. The more we educate ammonia as a power source, the more intrigue and acceptance we get. This will help us to leverage the existing ammonia infra-
structure already in place when we are ready for commercialization,” Amogy’s CEO told Offshore Energy.
“We’re lucky to have great partners, and we’re really excited about the momentum ammonia is getting as a clean energy source. In terms of safety, most of the maritime/commercial industry has been shipping ammonia for a number of decades as fertilizer, and are well handled to dealing with ammonia from that perspective. Ammonia, unlike hydrogen, already has existing infrastructure, regulations, and widespread acceptance globally.”
In the United States, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is an example of how the federal government has a big role to play in affecting the use of renewable energy, Woo explained, talking about how governments and regulatory bodies can help speed-up the adoption of ammonia.
Beyond providing billions of dollars in incentives for businesses to use renewable energy, the act shows how government regulation can positively impact the infrastructure required for society as a whole to switch to renewable energy, Woo noted, voicing hope to see similar measures passed for ammonia in the future.
That being said, there is a knowledge gap with policymakers on the subject of ammonia and its potential as an energy source and hydrogen carrier, he cautioned. “We’re actively engaged in Washington, DC, and other capitals around the world to showcase our ex-
periences with ammonia and how it can be a solution for nations concerned about energy security and decarbonizing their economy,” Woo noted.
“It looks like several states might pass regulations requiring 100% clean energy by 2040 which is great as an incentive for ammonia and other sources of clean energy.”
As explained, most of the regulatory attention in the U.S. is focused on hydrogen at the moment. However, as soon as you look into hydrogen, you realize it has a very high storage and transportation cost as it usually has to be kept at low temperatures in liquid hydrogen form.
“Ammonia is a more affordable way of storing hydrogen, as it is more energy dense and cheaper to store – we are just lacking the awareness of ammonia as a solution at this point and getting governments and regulatory bodies on board will be a crucial step,” Woo added.
Commenting on how has the maritime market and policy landscape changed since Amogy launched operations in 2020 with regard to decarbonization efforts and adoption of ammonia as part of the decarbonization puzzle, Woo said that the company has seen enormous interest, particularly in Europe and Southeast Asia in ammonia.
“Policymakers and industry have come to the conclusion that ammonia will play a critical role in decarbonizing the maritime industry. We expect that to continue and are actively engaged with several governments and companies,” he added. Amogy is expanding its footprint in Norway, having opened its headquarters in Stavanger, Norway and
appointed Christian Berg as managing director of Amogy Norway.
Earlier this year, Amogy signed a letter of intent and a lease with Sustainable Energy Catapult Centre to kick-start testing operations for its 200kW ammonia-to-power platform in Norway.
The Sustainable Energy Catapult Centre is one of five centers established by the Norwegian government to accelerate innovation and make nascent technologies commercially viable.
“Given the European Union as a whole and several individual countries focusing on energy security and decarbonization, it made sense for us to open an operation there,” Woo said.
“The partnership has been very valuable to us as they already performed tests on other ammonia projects – and provided us with a testing ground for the powerpack we’re using in the tugboat. We’ll continue to expand our presence in Europe and make use of the facility for our future projects.”
“Amogy is hoping the launch of the first ammonia-powered ship will lead to ammonia rapidly becoming a major part of how we power the zero-carbon maritime industry of the future. When you think about our technology solution, the sky’s the limit in terms of applications. While maritime is our focus for now, stationary power, large commercial offroad vehicles, and other large-scale applications are easily within reach.”
Finally, speaking about what is the most exciting aspect of the potential of ammonia to decarbonize the shipping industry, and how it fits into the broader transition to a low-carbon economy, Woo said: “We’re at a crossroads globally in terms of the desire by both the public and private sectors wanting to have clean, secure, and reliable energy sources. This combined with changes in the regulatory and public policy frameworks in many countries over the last few years means this is the right time for our technology.“
“For the maritime industry, it’s scrambling to replace dirty diesel fuel with cleaner alternatives. International shipping accounted for about three percent of global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions - a percentage that’s expected to climb as more vessels deliver more goods and as other sectors reduce their share of global emissions. Ammonia is predicted to become the leading fuel source for the world’s giant cargo ships by 2050 and Amogy’s technology is the first important step to that future becoming a reality.”
“Beyond the shipping industry, we believe in the potential of ammonia to revolutionize the wider transportation industry, and also in other industrial applications.”
By Jasmina Ovcina Mandra'We have a lot of exciting news that will take place over the course of the year'Seonghoon Woo, Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder of Amogy
With the latest news about Lidl and Kaufland entering a long-term offshore wind power offtake contract, and Mercedes-Benz announcing the same shortly prior to that, the list of big names signing up to buy offshore wind-generated electricity in Germany keeps growing. What lies behind this are both the companies’ ambitious decarbonisation strategies and the country’s approach to tendering.
A number of prominent companies and conglomerates in Germany, most of which operate globally, have entered offshore wind power offtake agreements over the past few years.
For each of these businesses, the move is part of a net-zero strategy. Alongside this, the scope of long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) with third parties is a qualitative award criterion in some parts of the German tendering system, according to WAB, the German offshore wind and hydrogen association.
As reported by our sibling site offshoreWIND.biz on 5 April, Lidl and Kaufland, the retail divisions of the German Schwarz Group, signed a long-term PPA this month with RWE Supply & Trading for the Kaskasi offshore wind farm, which started officially operating last month.
For the 342 MW Kaskasi, located 35 kilometres off the coast of Heligoland in the North Sea, Lidl and Kaufland signed a ten-year agreement that will go into effect in 2028. During this time, the two will be offtaking
around 250 GWh of electricity per year. Earlier this year, RWE signed power offtake contracts with eleven German industrial clients and one large municipal utility for green electricity generated by its Nordsee Ost and Amrumbank West offshore wind farms.
Under the agreements, Badische Stahlwerke, Freudenberg Group, Infraserv Höchst, Mainova, Messer, Schott, Telefónica, Verallia, Vodafone, Wacker and ZF will be using the offshore wind power, starting in
2025 or 2026, with the majority of the contracts to run for ten years. With these PPAs, all of the electricity generated by Nordsee Ost and Amrumbank West from 2026 has been sold under contract as Deutsche Bahn also signed PPAs for the two offshore wind farms with RWE in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
Just days before Schwarz Group announced the PPA with RWE on 5 April, Mercedes-Benz and Iberdrola revealed a PPA for the new, 315 MW offshore wind farm Windanker in the German part of the Baltic Sea. With the contract, Mercedes-Benz secured more than 140 MW of Windanker’s total generation capacity, which it plans on using from 2027 onwards.
Only a day earlier, the Spain-based offshore wind developer announced that it signed a collaboration agreement with Amazon which includes power purchase agreements for Iberdrola’s Windanker and Baltic Eagle offshore wind farms in Germany.
Also in March, German offshore wind developer EnBW signed a PPA for 50 MW of power from the He Dreiht offshore wind farm with the technology and services company Bosch (Robert Bosch GmbH). With 50 MW, Bosch will offtake around 200 GWh of electricity per year for 15 years starting in 2026 EnBW has signed a few more power offtake deals for the 900 MW He Dreiht, for which it reached the final investment decision
(FID) last month, including a 15-year agreement with Frankfurt Airport’s operator Fraport, signed in 2021.
Under the long-term contract that comes into force in the second half of 2026, Fraport booked 85 MW from the subsidy-free offshore wind farm, set to be built some 90 kilometres northwest of the island of Borkum. The proliferation of power purchase agreements for offshore wind projects in Germany is a result of the companies’ internal net-zero and decarbonisation strategies.
At Mercedes-Benz, for example, the offshore wind power the car manufacturer will be buying will be used at its facilities in Germany as the company aims to halve passenger/car emissions by 2030, compared to 2020 levels.
“Renewable energy supply is an important lever for reducing CO2 emissions throughout the global production network of MercedesBenz and for our entire company. By partnering with Iberdrola, we are taking an important step to further secure our green energy capacity for the future. We are thus underpinning our comprehensive claim to be a sustainable pioneer and at the same time our intention to play an active role in shaping the energy transition“, said Jörg Burzer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Production and Supply Chain Management.
Schwarz Group, whose Lidl and Kaufland represent the first corporate customers to conclude a PPA for RWE’s Kaskasi offshore wind farm, said that purchasing green electricity
was just one of the measures that contribute to the joint climate strategy of its companies and to helping to save 55 per cent of CO2 by 2030.
Through the strategy, the Schwarz Group companies have set goals based on the methodology of the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) and implemented measures to reduce, avoid or offset CO2 emissions in both operations and the supply chain.
To achieve avoiding CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions, the companies have been sourcing their electricity 100 per cent from renewable energies since the 2022 financial year, with another source of green electricity now being added through the ten-year contract with RWE, according to the parent company. Back in 2021, Fraport said that offshore wind-generated electricity would help transition a substantial portion of electricity consumption at its Frankfurt Airport home base to green energy.
In 2021, Fraport CEO Stefan Schulte said the PPA for He Dreiht marked a key milestone in Fraport’s ongoing decarbonisation strategy.
”Renewables such as wind and solar are the focus of our climate strategy. They provide the firm foundations for a comprehensive package of measures to systematically reduce our CO2 emissions. Our clearly defined goal is to make Frankfurt Airport carbonfree by 2045. The power sourced from this new offshore wind park will play a central role”, Schulte said.
“As an airport operator, we are especially reliant on a dependable, stable source of power that can be scaled up to meet our growing needs. In EnBW, we have found a strong partner. Compared with the conventional energy sources on which we have previously depended, the new CPPA unlocks potential savings of up to 80,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year”. Still, the pool of business
giants in Germany who are buying offshore wind power is growing thanks to the German tendering system as much as it is due to companies’ netzero ambitions.
“The scope of long-term power deliveries to third parties is a qualitative award criterion in Germany for the bids until August 1, 2023 for a total of 1,800 MW on four centrally pre-screened areas in the North Sea and, in terms of sustainable offshore wind development, is significantly more advantageous to the dynamic bidding process of the tender for the non-centrally pre-screened areas in the North Sea and Baltic Sea”, Heike Winkler, Managing Director at WAB, told offshoreWIND.biz.
This approach reduces the exposure to volatility of market prices, helps decarbonise energy-intensive industry and promotes energy-efficient use of space in the North and Baltic Seas, according to Winkler, who added that qualitative criteria were the future for a cost- and energy-efficient and for a sustainable, as well as value-creationsupporting, allocation of offshore areas.
“Offshore wind is already very costefficient compared to fossil energy supply even cheap, but it is not cost-free. Innovation, industrial value creation for climate protection, security of supply and energy sovereignty must be financed in order to be implemented rapidly enough. The costs on the part of the supplier industry must be covered in order to enable innovative advanced developments. Energy-intensive industry needs assured availability of green power”, Heike Winkler said.
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The European Parliament and the Council have reached a deal on the increase of maritime transport’s contribution to reaching the EU-wide target of achieving climate neutrality in 2050.
The morning of 23rd March, co-legislators agreed on FuelEU Maritime – a new EU regulation ensuring that the greenhouse gas intensity of fuels used by the shipping sector will gradually decrease over time, by 2% in 2025 to as much as 80% by 2050.
The deal sets up a fuel standard for ships to steer the EU maritime sector
towards the uptake of renewable and low-carbon fuels and decarbonization. Under the agreement, big ships will be required to gradually reduce GHG emissions. Namely, ships will have to gradually cut the amount of GHG in the energy they use (below 2020 level of 91.16 grams of CO2 per MJ) by 2% as of 2025, 6% as of 2030, 14,5% as of 2035, 31% as of 2040, 62% as of
2045 and 80% as of 2050. This would apply to ships above a gross tonnage of 5000, which are in principle responsible for 90% of CO2 emissions, and to all energy used on board in or between EU ports, as well as to 50% of energy used on voyages where the departure or arrival port is outside of the EU or in EU outermost regions.
The Commission will review the rules by 2028 to decide whether to extend emission-cutting requirements to smaller ships or to increase the share of the energy used by ships coming from non-EU countries. The deal gives more credits, as an incentive, in the form of offsetting emissions to those ship owners who use renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO) from 2025 to 2034. The deal also set a 2% renewable fuels usage target as of 2034 if the Commission reports that in 2030 RFNBO amount to less than 1% in fuel mix.
The new rules also introduce an additional zero-emission requirement at berth, mandating the use of on-shore power supply (OPS) or alternative zero-emission technologies in ports.
In line with that, containerships and passenger ships will be obliged to use on-shore power supply for all electricity needs while moored at the quayside in major EU ports as of 2030. It will also apply to the rest of EU ports as of 2035, if these ports have an onshore power supply.
This should significantly reduce air pollution in ports. Certain exemptions, such as staying at port for less than two hours, using own zero-emission technology or making a port call due to unforeseen circumstances or emergencies, will apply. The measure complements the provisional agreement reached on 18 December 2022 to include shipping emissions in the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS).
FuelEU Maritime targets are expected to become more ambitious over time to stimulate and reflect the expected developments in technology and the increased production of renewable and low-carbon fuels. The targets cover not only CO2, but also methane and nitrous oxide emissions over the full lifecycle of the fuels.
“Ships must and will shift away from fossil fuels and towards greener alternatives. With the long-term outlook of this agreement, we are sending a clear signal to the sector across the value chain, from shipowners and operators to fuel producers, shipyards and equipment manufacturers, that it is worthwhile and necessary to invest in sustainable maritime fuels and zero-emission technologies. This is fully in line with our efforts to support sustainable alternative fuels technologies under the new Net Zero Industry Act,” says Adina Vălean, Commissioner for Transport.
“This agreement sets out by far the world’s most ambitious path to mari-
time decarbonisation. No other global power has drafted such a comprehensive framework to tackle maritime emissions. This is truly ground-breaking,” said EP rapporteur Jörgen Warborn (EPP, SE).
“This regulation will force others to move too. Europe will do its fair share, but European citizens and companies should not foot the bill for the entire world’s climate efforts.” As explained, the regulation will provide the sector with long-term rules and predictability, so that they dare to invest. It is also a strong signal to fuel suppliers to start producing these green fuels for shipping.
“Shipping companies and ports can focus their resources on delivering the greatest climate benefits and the most value for money. This protects the jobs of seafarers, dockworkers and workers in the export industry, and sets an example for other countries to follow,” Warborn added.
“Today’s decision marks the beginning of the end of dirty fuels in shipping. The EU is charting the way with the most ambitious package of green shipping laws ever adopted. This success should inspire other countries to do the same,” Delphine Gozillon, sustainable shipping officer at T&E, said. E-fuels are one of the only options
shippings has to decarbonize, where direct electrification for many vessels is not possible. However, the group warns that loopholes risk letting biofuels and low-carbon fuels in the backdoor. T&E has called on the EU to fix these when it revises the law by 2028.
The political agreement reached this morning must now be formally adopted. Once this process is completed by the European Parliament and the Council, the new rules will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union and enter into force 20 days after publication.
By Jasmina Ovcina Mandra'Ships must and will shift
fossil fuels and towards greener alternatives'
On a mission to become a major player in the energy transition while pursuing its netzero by 2050 goals, France’s TotalEnergies has not only fortified its oil and gas portfolio with new acquisitions in 2022 but also boosted its renewables share of assets. In a bid to get closer to a sustainable energy future, the energy giant has decided to step up its investments in low-carbon energies to $5 billion in 2023.
TotalEnergies showcased the progress of its transformation strategy and the update on its climate ambition on Tuesday, 21 March 2023. This was done to mark the publication of its Sustainability & Climate –2023 Progress Report, in accordance with the commitment made by the
firm’s board of directors at the annual shareholders’ meeting on 25 May 2022 with respect to sustainable development and energy transition toward carbon neutrality.
As the firm’s board is committed to reporting on the progress made in
implementing the ambition to the shareholders’ meeting, it will submit the Sustainability & Climate – 2023 Progress Report to a consultative vote of shareholders at the meeting on 26 May 2023. In line with this, the French oil major claims it remains committed to its multi-energy strat-
egy of balancing profitable growth and sustainable development and strengthening its emission reduction objectives.
The company claims that it was “the most profitable major” among the five super-majors in 2022, with a ROACE of more than 28 per cent, allowing it to distribute 37.2 per cent of the $47 billion cash flow it generated to its shareholders while reducing its gearing to 7 per cent at year-end 2022.
TotalEnergies says it was “executing its transformation strategy to a multi-energy company” during 2022 and “investing the most among the majors to build the energy system of tomorrow.” Thanks to this renewed portfolio, with no stranded assets, the oil major highlights that it “now benefits from a more resilient and profitable oil portfolio.”
In lieu of this, the French giant continued to refocus its oil portfolio on a low cost – operating plus investment
cost lower than $20/boe – and low emission assets and projects, as evidenced by the entry into the Sépia and Atapu producing fields in Brazil and more recently on the SARB/ Umm Lulu concession in Abu Dhabi.
Since the French player sees natural gas as the energy of the transition, the firm strengthened its position as a major player in LNG during 2022 with its entry into the North Field East (NFE) and North Field South (NFS) projects in Qatar. The company also increased its sales by 15 per cent to reach 48 Mt, thanks to the strong call for LNG in Europe.
Furthermore, TotalEnergies explains that it contributed significantly to Europe’s security of supply by covering more than 20 per cent of the continent’s LNG needs due to its position as “the largest provider of LNG regasification in Europe.”
Aside from this, TotalEnergies invested $4 billion in low-carbon energies last year and increased its gross installed electricity generation capacity to 21 GW by the end of 2022, including 17 GW of renewables, in line with its objective to reach 35 GW of renewable capacity in 2025. These investments enable the company to show more than 30 per cent eligibility and alignment – in a proportional view – in 2022 under the European taxonomy.
Pursuing climate roadmap in 2022
Moreover, TotalEnergies underlines that it has gone after the implementation of its ambition to be “a major player in the energy transition” and to get to net-zero by 2050. According to the French oil major, the realisation of this ambition was marked by significant progress last year, as methane emissions from the company’s operated facilities were reduced by 34 per cent compared to the 2020 base year (compared to 23 per cent in 2021).
In addition, the lifecycle carbon intensity of energy products sold to the firm’s customers decreased by 12 per cent in 2022 compared to 2015 (compared to 10 per cent in 2021); and emissions related to petroleum products used by its customers (Scope 3 oil) decreased by 27 per cent compared to 2015 (compared to 19 per cent in 2021).
TotalEnergies disclosed that it had estimated, for the first time – “given its LNG growth strategy and convinced by the central role of gas in the energy transition” – the GHG reduction that its LNG sales could account for by displacing coal and fuel oil for electricity generation, depending on customer and destination. As a result, the company estimates that its LNG sales have helped to avoid about 70 Mt CO2 emissions globally.
Meanwhile, TotalEnergies has decided to strengthen its emission reduction objectives, buoyed by its progress in 2022. Therefore, the firm has set a new absolute emissions target of less than 38 Mt CO2 (Scope 1+2) on its operated facilities in 2025 versus 2015 – compared to < 40 Mt CO2 previously – thanks to a $1 billion global energy savings programme for 202324.
The company is reinforcing its objective of reducing the carbon intensity of the energy mix sold to its customers from -20 per cent to -25 per cent by 2030 compared to 2015, and to
-15 per cent from 2025 (compared to -10 per cent previously). Additionally, the firm is reducing Scope 3 oil emissions from -30 per cent to -40 per cent in 2030 compared to 2015, and 30 per cent from 2025.
TotalEnergies underscores that its ambition is based on “a clear and disciplined through-cycle investment policy,” thus, it has opted to increase the share of investments in low-carbon energies by $1 billion to $5 billion in 2023 from the total planned range of $16-18 billion.
The French energy giant plans to invest $14 billion to $18 billion per year by 2030, depending on the cycle, of which a third will be in low-carbon energies, about 30 per cent will be dedicated to the development of new oil and gas projects, and the remainder devoted to the maintenance of the hydrocarbon portfolio.
Regarding TotalEnergies’ recent activities, it is worth noting that the oil major was is in the process of starting a multi-well appraisal and exploration drilling programme in Namibia at the end of last month. This comes following the Venus light oil discovery in Block 2913B (PEL 56) located in the Orange Basin, offshore southern Namibia.
By Melisa Cavcic'Given its LNG growth strategy and convinced by the central role of gas in the energy transition'
• Placed in Hamburg – one of Europe’s leading spots in hydrogen
• Focused on the supply chain of green hydrogen
• Free conference programme on open stages
• Top speakers from politics, science and business
by
The decarbonization conundrum in the shipping industry persists due to a multitude of challenges, including the high cost of alternative fuels, the lack of infrastructure to support their widespread use, and the need for significant changes to vessel design and operational practices.
Despite the development of various technologies, such as hydrogen fuel cells and wind-assisted propulsion, there is no single panacea that can address all these challenges at once.
When considering all of these factors, a carbon-free future in the sector seems to be a distant, even fleeting, and intangible, prospect. However, methanol seems to be a solution that can bring benefits today.
“There are virtually no barriers to the adoption of methanol as a marine fuel. The technology has been proven over the last 7 years with over 130,000 operating hours accumulated by WFS,” Paul Hexter, President at Waterfront Shipping, a subsidiary of Methanex, the world’s largest producer of methanol, said in an interview with Offshore Energy.
Methanol vs alternative fuel
Hexter believes it is relatively straight-
forward for shipping companies to adopt methanol versus other alternative fuels, as it is already available in over 120 ports and handled and bunkered similarly to diesel. Furthermore, due to a long history of safe handling, methanol has been described as the lowest-risk fuel compared to LNG, hydrogen, and ammonia. Moreover, it is environmentally benign compared to other options as it dissolves in water and biodegrades rapidly.
Hexter sat down for an interview with our editorial team to share more details on the recent net-zero trans-Atlantic voyage with bio-methanol and the role and outlook of methanol as a decarbonization pathway for the shipping industry. The voyage was carried out in cooperation with Japanese shipping major Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) on board the dual-fuel vessel Cajun Sun.
The Cajun Sun, operated by Waterfront Shipping and chartered from MOL, arrived from Geismar, U.S., to Antwerp, Belgium on February 4, fuelled entirely by bio-methanol blended fuel. The fuel blend is comprised of ISCC-certified bio-methanol that has negative carbon
intensity with natural gas-based methanol, produced at Methanex’s facility in Geismar. The bio-methanol used in the voyage was produced from renewable natural gas, derived from captured methane from animal manure that would have otherwise been emitted into the atmosphere.
Following the completion of the voyage, the classification society Bureau Veritas conducted an audit of the greenhouse gas emission calculations from the bio-methanol fuel blend consumed during the voyage. At the same time, Climate Neutral Commodity, an independent certification party validated the net-zero voyage against best practices as defined by the ISCC and issued the certification, Waterfront Shipping revealed.
Methanex currently has the capability to produce bio-methanol at its ISCC-certified Geismar production facility using renewable natural gas. “We are assessing other pathways, including carbon capture and storage and e-methanol, to provide low-carbon methanol solutions for the marine industry and other customers,” Hexter noted. The company is also looking into investment opportunities to convert existing assets into production facilities for low-carbon methanol.
“Our manufacturing facilities have a lifespan of several decades, and the process to make methanol remains largely the same regardless of feedstock used. For these reasons, modifying existing assets to produce lower-carbon methanol is more cost-effective and can
have a lower environmental impact than building new facilities. In addition, pursuing staged investments allows us to adjust production based on product demand and feedstock availability,” he noted.
Commenting on what inspired the historic voyage, Hexter said that the idea was to demonstrate that the pathway to net-zero emissions and the decarbonization of the shipping industry was possible today with methanol as a marine fuel. Methanol offers a clear pathway to meeting the International Maritime Organization’s decarbonization goals, he added. “It is easier and less costly to convert existing vessels to use methanol compared to other alternative fuels, such as liquefied natural gas (LNG),” he pointed out.
Methanol is a liquid fuel at ambient temperature and pressure, which makes it easier to use than other alternative fuels that require cooling or pressurization. It can be used in existing diesel engines, making the conversion process much less expensive than other alternative fuels.
“Relatively minor adaptations are required for diesel engines to use methanol: manufacturers make kits that add an extra methanol fuel system to the basic diesel engine and adapt the valves and injector to deliver methanol fuel. When using methanol, some minor changes to vessel infrastructure are required including additional fuel storage, double-walled piping, and a methanol fuel supply system are also required,” he said.
'There are virtually no barriers to the adoption of methanol as a marine fuel'
“Established diesel tanks can be used to store methanol with only minor modifications needed resulting in an easy and cost-competitive supply of methanol to new locations, at low cost. As a liquid fuel, there is a minimal incremental cost to adopt methanol using the existing bunkering infrastructure.”
The fuel is already gaining popularity among vessel owners, with orders for methanol dual-fuel vessels coming in from some of the world’s largest shipping companies, including Maersk, CMA CGM, and COSCO. In fact, over 20 methanol dual-fuel vessels are already in operation, mostly by Waterfront Shipping, and this number is expected to grow to 125+ over the next few years, representing 3.5 mmtpa demand potential.
Hexter added that methanol dual-fuel engines are available today and proven. “This technology is flexible – it can burn diesel or methanol from conventional or renewable sources, or a combination based on what future regulations require. Methanex and our partners including MAN pioneered the methanol dual-fuel engine and we continue to work in collaboration to advance the technology. Today, the methanol dual fuel engine has advanced to 3rd generation technology.”
While most of the vessels operating or on order use MAN 2-stroke technology (i.e. Waterfront Shipping, Maersk, other containerships), there is also a growing number of leading engine manufactur-
ers, including Wartsila, Rolls-Royce/ MTU, ABC, MAN 4-stroke, Caterpillar, WinGD and others committing to producing methanol engines as more shipping will open up the growth for methanol-fueled vessels across the marine sector, he noted.
Speaking on the sustainability of methanol and its potential to become a fully green solution, Hexter said: “As renewable methanol is physically/chemically identical as conventional methanol, there would be no compatibility issues or further engine investment required, allowing a seamless, gradual transition to lower CO2 emissions (IMO and other regional/company CO2 targets). We expect that blending of green, blue and traditional methanol will be an important pathway to customers as we transition to a low-carbon economy.”
Conventional methanol is a cost-competitive marine fuel on an energy-equivalent basis with other low-sulphur marine fuels, he continued. “We see significant demand potential emerging in the marine sector as a large and growing number of shipping companies are ordering (or considering) methanol vessels but most of these vessels are not on the water yet; we anticipate increasing interest in lower carbon methanol fuels in the coming years as more methanol vessels are introduced and greenhouse gas regulations become more stringent,” he said.
However, the adoption of methanol as a marine fuel is not without its challenges. The renewable methanol market is still small and growing, and the cost of producing lower-carbon methanol is still generally higher than what customers are willing to pay for, Hexter pointed out, adding that the ‘green premium’ remains a key challenge to scaling the production of blue or green methanol.
Nevertheless, Hexter believes that regulation and compliance will be the key drivers for shipowners to switch to cleaner fuels, as they are likely to be more expensive than traditional marine fuels. “It is reasonable to expect that regulations or customer demand will be needed to drive higher uptake,” he concluded.“While we are seeing the gap narrow, this remains a key challenge to scaling the production of blue or green methanol.”
By Jasmina Ovcina Mandra
In the aftermath of geopolitical challenges, energy and climate crises along with economic side effects from the turbulent events that marked 2022, the UK is pivoting towards renewable and low-carbon energy in a push to strengthen energy security, outlines the new report from the Energy Industries Council (EIC), an energy industry trade association and voice for the global energy supply chain.
Following the Ukraine crisis, the global energy market went into turmoil in 2022, illustrated by oil and gas price volatility, and the situation in the UK was not any different, as political and economic uncertainty gripped the Conservative government throughout 2022, undergoing two transitions of power, from Boris Johnson to Liz Truss, and then from Liz Truss to Rishi Sunak.
Moreover, the unprecedented spike in wholesale gas prices in early 2022 led
to the failure of 29 energy suppliers in the UK and a rise in Ofgem’s price cap, contributing to a cost-of-living crisis and revealing vulnerabilities in the UK’s energy security.
This became a key priority for the UK government, as demonstrated by the release of the British Energy Security Strategy, focusing on expanding the domestic UK energy supply alongside commitments to completely remove Russian oil and coal imports by the end
of 2022, and Russian gas “as soon as possible thereafter.”
The EIC underscores that the strategy received a mixed response from the energy industry, with many in the offshore wind, solar, hydrogen and nuclear sectors praising the UK government’s ambition to focus on these sectors in achieving net-zero. However, others claimed that the strategy raised more questions than answers in relation to
energy efficiency, inward investment, and supply chain capabilities.
A lot of attention was placed on the nuclear aspect of the strategy, with many stating that 24 GW of installed nuclear capacity by 2050 was unrealistic, underestimating the challenges in the nuclear power sector surrounding skills, development costs and supply-chain capabilities.
With the UK still being highly dependent on natural gas while its nuclear capacity is dwindling, as reactors reach the end of their lifespan, the EIC’s report indicates that the country has failed to install the renewable capacity
required to prevent consumer bills from skyrocketing.
Despite this, the report underlines that the UK has a strong pipeline of projects, either planned or under development, across multiple renewables and new technology sectors, thus, the challenge would be to ensure that the barriers to growth and innovation continue to be removed and the necessary measures are put in place to maximize investment in the wider UK energy market.
According to the EIC’s UK Operational Insight Report 2022, the UK energy market is shifting its focus to renewable energy in response to Russian sanctions and growing concerns over fossil fuels, as the country saw a surge in renewable energy installations last year, driven by concerns over energy security and the need for affordable low-carbon power.
During this period, offshore wind dominated the UK’s renewables market, with an installed capacity of 3.2 GW in 2022 across three offshore wind farms, including the Moray Firth East (950 MW), Hornsea Two (1386 MW) and Triton Knoll (860 MW) projects.
On the other hand, onshore wind capacity was also installed across seven small-scale wind farms and a 50 MW South Farm Solar PV Project along with three small-scale energy-from-waste projects came online in 2022 while Tees Renewable Energy Plant (REP) in the Port of Teesside, one of the world’s largest biomass plants, is expected to come online in 2023 after experiencing several delays due to COVID.
Rebecca Groundwater, EIC’s Head of External Affairs, commented: “It’s necessary to have a strategic focus on offshore wind, solar, hydrogen and nuclear sectors to achieve net-zero by 2050 and meet the UK’s energy security needs. Maximizing the UK’s installed capacity of domestically sourced power is also critical to achieving energy independence and reducing dependence on Russian oil and gas.
UK’S offshore wind farms
“This can only happen through enabling the energy industry as a whole and supporting its supply chain companies by ensuring speedy licensing processes and robust financing schemes are in place.”
Furthermore, the UK now has 44 operational offshore wind farms with a combined capacity of 14.5 GW, with approximately 2,679 wind turbines, based on the report. There are also more than 550 operational onshore wind farms in the country with a combined capacity of 15.2 GW with approximately 60 per cent of this capacity being in Scotland while the rest is spread across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
In lieu of this, the UK’s installed solar capacity is now up to 13.7 GW, across over 620 projects, approximately 46 per cent of this installed capacity comes from projects in England, with the country having an installed capacity of 6.3 GW across 559 operational solar plants.
Meanwhile, the UK’s installed capacity of energy from waste is now at 2.7 GW spread across 106 operational assets, 93 of which are in England with the re-
maining 13 situated in Scotland (eight projects), Wales (four projects), and Northern Ireland (one project). Additionally, the UK has an installed biomass capacity of 5 GW spread across 53 biomass plants, 2.6 GW of which comes from Drax’s Power Station in North Yorkshire.
Neil Golding, EIC’s Head of Market Intelligence, remarked: “Provided it can roll out the necessary policies and investment required to establish a resilient supply chain and a sizeable portfolio of operational projects, the UK has the potential to be a world leader in the global CCUS market.
“This could be a real opportunity for the UK to help other European countries decarbonize, particularly those that don’t have the necessary storage
capacity, especially given the country’s well-established oil and gas supply chains and large offshore storage capacity in the North Sea.”
The report shows that the installed nuclear capacity in the country decreased due to the decommissioning of several reactors while coal-fired units were extended to ensure energy availability during winter. Between June and September 2022, the UK government extended the life of five coal-fired units into 2023 and 2024, including the West Burton A, North Yorkshire, and Ratcliffe coal-fired power plants.
The extended operations of these three power plants mean the UK now has approximately 42.7 GW of conventional power available across 93 power plants with around 82 per cent of this power
being gas-fired, with the remaining 18 per cent coming from coal, oil, and diesel power plants.
Even though the government aims to increase nuclear capacity, the report points out that the industry faces some challenges, including high costs, and complex regulatory requirements, in addition to concerns over waste management and safety.
“The government should also address the challenges in the nuclear power sector surrounding skills, development costs, and supply-chain capabilities to accelerate the transition towards a more secure and sustainable energy future,” concluded Golding.
By Melisa Cavcic'UKPhoto by Energy Industries Council (EIC)
JUNE 20 23 Southampton United Kingdom 13 15 TO
For more information visit: seawork.com contact: +44 1329 825 335 or email: info@seawork.com
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The 24th edition of Europe’s largest commercial marine and workboat exhibition, is a proven platform to build business networks.
Seawork delivers an international audience of visitors supported by our trusted partners.
Seawork is the meeting place for the commercial marine and workboat sector.
Speed@Seawork on Monday 12 June at the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes offers a sector specific event for fast vessels operating at high speed for security interventions and Search & Rescue.
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The Conference programme, chaired by industry experts, helps visitors to keep up to date with the latest challenges and emerging opportunities.
The Careers & Training Day on Thursday 15 June 2023 delivers a programme focused on careers in the commercial marine industry.
12,000m2 of undercover halls feature 500 exhibitors with over 70 vessels, floating plant and equipment on the quayside and pontoons.
(ECMAs) and Innovations Showcase.
In 2017, the Maritime Research Institute Nederland (MARIN) started researching the concept of a Zero Emissions Lab (ZEL), a facility to configure and test the propulsion performance of climate neutral or zero emission ships. This ‘engine room of the future’, which combines power components such as batteries, super capacitors, fuel cells and internal combustion engines with a propeller in a cavitation tunnel, is now becoming a reality.
To make the ZEL a reality, MARIN paired up the maritime automation experts at Bachmann electronics with system integrator Raster, an ICT Group company that specializes in high-end, functional safety systems and sophisticated production and process automation. Both parties were up to the challenge.
“MARIN knew what they wanted the ZEL to be capable of now, but weren’t sure what the requirements might be in five years,” says Rob van Rooijen, Architect at Raster. “So, flexibility and future viability were key demands from the get-go.”
In this golden age of automation, the possibilities often seem unlimited. Yet
translating your automation-related needs and wants into technically feasible, future-proof solutions can be difficult. After all, there are always limits – both technical, and in terms of safety.
In the ZEL case, the design process was even more difficult, because it had never been done before. There were no examples to draw conclusions from.
“Luckily, Raster is great at inventing the wheel – any wheel,” states Joeri ten Napel, Key Account Manager at Bachmann electronics. “It’s a group of specialists, that thrive designing oneoffs.”
First, Raster helped MARIN define the framework safety conditions that needed to be laid down in the software. MARIN opted for a modelling tool named Capella: an open-source solution for model-based systems engineering (MBSE).
The system that Raster designed for the ZEL, consists of three main sections.
• The first section is the shaft line. Two motors on the shaft line power a propeller in a cavitation tunnel.
• The second is a 700 Volt DC-bus, a direct current voltage bus that distributes power from sources to consumers. All kinds of power sources can be connected to the DC-bus: batteries, generators on methanol or other fuels, a super capacitor, and a fuel cell.
• The third is the utilities section; the systems that are required to keep the entire ZEL up and running. Things like water cooling for motors on the shaft line and systems connected to the 700-Volt DC-bus, for example, the converter and transformer for the 400-V-AC power supply.
There isn’t much physical room for additional hardware – say, a second generator set - in the lab. In order to guarantee flexibility for future test configurations despite the physical lack of space, MARIN asked for two software controlled generic systems on the 700 Volt DC-bus that can be modelled as an additional battery, or an additional engine. “MARIN can load models into these systems that have the characteristics of such devices. This provides the flexibility in energy sources for the DC-bus that MARIN requires,” explains Mr van Rooijen.
In their design, Raster uses an extensive cross section of Bachmann’s product range and the possibilities that their plc’s provide. The ZEL communicates with seven plc’s in its current setup; a number that will more than double in the future. A redundant set will be added, as well as safety communication on safety plc’s.
Making all of these systems match and function as a whole, was a massive challenge. “Raster did a tremendous job in creating the flexibility that MARIN wanted within an architectural shell that guarantees both machine and process safety,” says Mr ten Napel. During the designing process, Raster and MARIN encountered various technical boundaries, and tackled them together. Martijn Kooij, Managing Director at Raster: “We get together with MARIN to keep the project progress aligned two, three times a week. They
even have personnel working from our office on a regular basis, and vice versa! That is pretty unique, in my experience.”
A board group has also been formed on project management level, that gets together on a regular basis to discuss the general status of the project and tackle potential issues.
The partnership between Raster and Bachmann also grew strong. “Raster’s line of work really is complementary to ours, due to their qualifications and expertise in safety,” Mr ten Napel states. “There is a lot of expensive equipment in the ZEL, so you really want to prevent those machines from being damaged by a faulty test configuration.”
“Bachmann proved to be an excellent partner during this project,” adds Mr Kooij. “During the starting phase, they provided us with product training sessions and lots of support, which helped us determine what adjustments were required to improve the setup’s technical feasibility.”
By the end of 2022, the construction of the control panels and software components of the utilities section had been completed. The next phase of the project is connecting two of the three motors that are connected to the propeller in the cavitation tunnel. The
first cavitation tunnel tests are already scheduled in May 2023.
In the meantime, Raster continues working on the engine room of the future - at least for another six months.
“The biggest challenge for companies like ours is the amount of time it takes to customize automation systems,” concludes Mr Kooij. “We start by taking stock of our customers’ needs and wants, in order to create a blueprint of their ideal system. We make sure it’s modular, scalable, and repeatable. For some companies, a general and generic solution based on standard functionality suffices. Raster serves the ones that do need tailor-made solutions with specialized functionalities. That kind of customization is what sets us apart.”
Contact Bachmann electronic GmbH I www.bachmann.info
The Industry Contribution is a section in which companies share their business endeavors or market analyses. Please contact us at jp@navingo.com for inquiries.
Rapid developments in offshore market require new production methods for Fast Crew Suppliers
Damen Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam is gearing up to begin rapid series production of Damen’s Fast Crew Supplier 2710. This is to meet the projected rapid growth in demand for wind farm support vessels due to the expansion in offshore wind development across South-East Asia that is already underway.
Damen Song Cam Shipyard (DSCS) is well positioned geographically to meet the needs of the region’s wind farm operators, and it also has experience in the large-scale, series production of workboats, in 2015 it became the first tugboat factory in the world and to this day it continues to produce high quality tugs for stock, enabling rapid delivery at economical prices, along with other workboats.
The manufacturing techniques for the series production of workboats have similarities to those used in the automotive sector when it comes to efficiency and teamwork. These shared techniques mean that DSCS can achieve short delivery times while also being able to deliver vessels tailored to meet the specific needs of each client. Over 50 equipment and performance options are maintained in stock, ready to be installed.
The need for fast delivery in SouthEast Asia is due not just to the rapid growth in offshore sustainable energy, but also because contracts for supply in the local industry are typically awarded less than 12 months ahead of the start date.
Damen Fast Crew Supplier 2710
Serial production of the 27-metre Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) will start once the new production hall is built and fitted out. This vessel together with its predecessor FCS 2610, have already proven themselves as an efficient and popular wind farm support vessel with over 70 sold since its introduction in 2012, mostly into Europe.
Over that time the design has had many updates and modifications
based on customer feedback in line with Damen’s commitment to operational excellence. The production lines are designed to have ten in build at any one time, with the same number to be delivered over the next two and a half years. However, this can be rapidly scaled up.
The entire supply chain for the offshore wind sector is under pressure given the demand for the products and services that are needed to install and maintain the wind turbines. So as well as introducing the new capacity at DSCS, Damen will continue to build Fast Crew Suppliers at its shipyard in Antalya, Turkey, for the European and other markets.
“By ensuring that advanced, proven, Fast Crew Suppliers are available to our clients in South-East Asia when
they need them, we aim to make the FCS 2710 the go-to wind farm support vessel for local operators, the same as it is in Europe,” says DSCS Managing Director Joris van Tienen. “At DSCS we have the experience and the capability to make that a reality.”
Customers looking for vessels for immediate deployment can also contact Damen Marine Services which maintains a fleet of Damen workboats for charter or sale.
Contact I www.damen.com
The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) has issued a tender for offshore geotechnical investigations at the Nederwiek Wind Farm Zone. The contracts to be awarded under the tender, which is divided into two lots, are valued at €45.5 million in total.
Dutch shipbuilder Damen Shipyards Group posted a revenue of €2.5 billion for 2022 for the first time in the company’s history. “Overall, we are happy with 2022,” says CEO Arnout Damen. “Obviously, this does not apply to the situation in Ukraine, where we have had to close our locations in Cherson and Mykolayiv. We are still deeply affected by the situation of our colleagues there and we are supporting them whenever possible.”
“We are seeing how our focus on making our vessels more sustainable is gaining traction and appreciation,” Damen continues. “Last year, we delivered the world’s first, full-electric, harbour tug – Sparky– to the Port of Auckland in New Zealand. This RSD-E Tug 2513 was immediately voted ‘Tug of the Year’ at the International Tug & Salvage Awards 2022, and it also appeared on TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions List. Our revolutionary Fast Crew Supplier 7011 Aqua Helix was named Offshore Energy Vessel of the Year for 2022 by Offshore Support Journal.”
Van Oord christened brand new trailing suction hopper dredger Vox Apolonia last March. This is Van Oord’s second hopper dredger equipped with an LNG fuel system. During a two-day christening event, Vox Apolonia was moored along the Wilhelminakade in Rotterdam city centre.
Vox Apolonia is the sister vessel of the LNG-powered trailing suction hopper dredgers Vox Ariane and Vox Alexia. Vox Ariane was christened in June 2022 and has already been successfully deployed on several projects.
Triplet sister vessel Vox Alexia is in the final stages of construction in Singapore. According to Van Oord, these new vessels have a hopper capacity of approximately 10,500 cubic metres and measure 137.50 metres in length and 27.60 metres across the beam.
Through the first lot, RVO will award a contract worth €11 million for a seabed cone penetration testing (CPT) and vibrocore campaign, including basic laboratory testing and reporting. Ecological soil and water sampling is also required for the investigation area at the Nederwiek Wind Farm Zone.
The second lot, which will see a contract award worth €34.5 million, is dedicated to a borehole campaign that includes in-situ downhole testing, and standard and advanced laboratory tests.“The deliverables will be published for use by the participants in the concession tenders for these offshore Wind Farm Sites”, RVO states in the contract notice.
The Nederwiek Wind Farm Zone is one of the three new offshore wind areas the Dutch Government designated last year. The Zone, located 90 kilometres off the west coast of the Netherlands, comprises two areas, Nederwiek Zuid & Noord (North and South), and three project sites: the 2 GW Nederwiek Zuid I, the 2 GW Nederwiek Noord II, and the 2 GW Nederwiek Noord III.
Nederwiek Zuid I is scheduled to be auctioned off in the second quarter of 2025 and the offshore wind farm that will be built there is expected to come online in 2030.
Cruise company Hurtigruten Norway has revealed it is working towards its first zero-emission ship by 2030 by launching an innovative research project in partnership with research institute SINTEF and 12 maritime partners.
As informed, the new consortium is dedicated to developing innovative, zero-emission solutions for the future of passenger ships. The project, named Sea Zero, has been awarded €7 million in public funding and has a total budget of €13 million going into this research and development phase.
The first vessel is expected to be delivered by 2030. With only 0.1% of all vessels worldwide currently using zero-emission technology1, Hurtigruten Norway’s project aims to significantly impact the cruise indus-
try’s sustainability and the future of travel.
Hurtigruten selected marine engineering company Vard Marine for ship design.
As the global energy crisis demonstrated last year that the energy security of certain countries hangs by a thread, the American Petroleum Institute (API), a trade association representing the oil and gas industry, has called on the Biden administration to address – what it sees as – the broken permitting process, which is halting U.S. energy development.
API disclosed on Monday, 10 April 2023, that “the harmful provisions” of CEQ’s Interim Guidance on Consideration of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Change under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was outlined in a comment letter submitted to the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). In addition, the letter
detailed how this guidance could further delay the development of critical energy projects, not only those related to oil and natural gas but also renewables.
Jennifer Stewart, API Director of Climate and ESG Policy, remarked: “API shares the Biden administration’s goal of reducing GHG emissions across the economy and specifically from the production, transportation, and use of energy resources. We also share the administration’s goal of permitting reform to reduce American energy bills, promote energy security for the U.S. and our allies, and boost our ability to build energy projects. However, we do not believe that the Interim Guidance helps agencies advance these goals in a lawful or effective manner.”
Port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, has revealed that energy provider Onyx Power plans to build a low-carbon blue hydrogen production plant at its existing site in the port.
With a capacity of 1,200 MW, the plant is expected to produce some 300 kilotonne per annum blue hydrogen, and the Rotterdam port said the CO2 produced while making the hydrogen would be captured and stored in depleted offshore gas fields. It noted that by doing so, 2.5 million tonnes of CO2 could be saved annually.
The University of Malta has teamed up with its offshore energy storage spin-off FLASC to assess the potential of integrating renewable energy and energy storage solutions with floating breakwaters. The project, dubbed FORTRESS, which is being funded by the Malta Energy and Water Agency, will enable breakwaters to serve the dual role of supporting renewables such as floating solar by creating sheltered water areas to mitigate challenges in rough weather, while providing long duration energy storage services.
With increased offshore activity, floating breakwaters are becoming the preferred alternative in deep waters since bottom-fixed, conventional arrangements are typically limited to shallow waters. The floating systems may also be installed at sites having poor seabed conditions as their installation and operation are highly independent of the seafloor characteristics.
Dutch tank storage company Vopak has provided updates on its LNG projects, including EemsEnergyTerminal, Gate terminal Rotterdam, and Hong Kong LNG terminal project. Vopak’s first update is in regard to EemsEnergyTerminal, an LNG import terminal located in the Eemshaven in the Netherlands.
Vopak and its long-term partner, energy infrastructure company Gasunie, have entered into a principle agreement whereby Vopak will acquire 50% of the shares in the terminal. According to Vopak, this transaction, targeted to be completed latest by 1 October 2023, will be subject to a number of conditions, including the approval from the competition authorities.
Kooiman Marine Group has recently delivered a trailing suction hopper dredger, named HEGEMANN V, to contractor Hegemann-Reiners AG. The company will use the dredger for port maintenance operations, as well as shore replenishment, in the North and Baltic sea area.
Hegemann-Reiners had specific requirements when it approached Kooiman. Ron Verschoor, responsible for business development at the shipbuilder says, “Delivering custom vessels is what we do. We always aim to design in close cooperation with the end user to create the vessel they want to have.”
Amongst Hegemann-Reiners requirements was the HEGEMANN V feature considerable redundancy to operate safely and reliably. Also the vessel should be able to dredge a specific amount of sand and as much as possible amount of slick material. This all had to be fit into a predefined size, as the vessel is restricted to work in harbours and on rivers. The dredger also features pre-defined operation modes to be able to run the generator diesel engines at optimal efficiency. This results in efficient aftertreatment of the exhaust gasses and considerably lower fuel consumption.
The hull of the dredger was built in Serbia before being transported to the Gebr. Kooiman shipyard in Zwijndrecht where Kooiman performed the outfitting, drawing on skills from across the Kooiman Marine Group.
The dredger, now in operation, has received a positive reception with the Bremen-based contracting company. Technical Manager Martin Janssen says, “Kooiman came with a tailored proposal. They did it exactly as we wanted. The dredger was already performing beyond expectations during sea trials and continues to do so in operation.”
Offshore Wind Oil & Gas
Decommissioning Labour Market
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modular and scalable electrically powered pusher boats for transporting a wide range of cargo flows. Combining assembly construction with the globally patented design of the zero-emission E-Pusher - a PE hull assembly with a steel frame and electric drive - is an entirely new approach in shipbuilding. The design of the E-Pusher offers the unique ability to switch containerised energy sources, varying from fossil, hydrogen, and fully electric energy.
The first KOTUG E-Pusher type M will be delivered to Cargill this spring. The company will deploy the zero-emission vessel and four electrified barges for zero-emission barging of cocoa beans between the Port of Amsterdam and their cocoa
facilities in Zaandam. Cargill will be the first company worldwide with this fully electrified industrial setup for inland shipping.
The E-Pusher type M is part of the KOTUG E-Pusher Series, a range of
The series consists of four models to cover all the inland waterways: the E-Pusher CityBarge (for inner cities) and the E-Pusher S, M and L for larger waterways. With the 100% electric E-Pusher, KOTUG supports companies that want to build a more resilient and sustainable supply chain.
Equinor Canada, a subsidiary of Norway’s state-owned energy giant Equinor, has awarded a letter of intent (LOI) to KBR’s Canadian entity – KBR Industrial Canada – for the front-end engineering design (FEED) of the topside facilities of the Bay Du Nord floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel, which
will work off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
KBR explains that the FEED scope comes on the back of the pre-FEED engineering carried out by KBR in 2022. The agreement also includes an option for the continuation of detailed design and procurement
Subsea7, Siem Offshore, and Kongsberg Maritime have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly look at optimisation of marine operations for floating wind projects.
The main objective of the study is to identify gaps in capabilities of existing marine operation methodologies and equipment, to enable robust and efficient execution of large-scale floating wind developments planned for the Norwegian Continental Shelf and globally within the next decade, the companies said.
According to Helge Myrvang, Business Development Manager at Subsea7, floating offshore wind will likely require new equipment and new ways of working to achieve the
management services through to final completion of the FPSO. According to the firm, this will further mature the engineering and execution planning, working towards a final investment decision with the first production expected to be in the late 2020s.
predictability and robustness that is required to make the industrialisation of floating wind possible.
”For Subsea7, ensuring robustness in methods and equipment is pivotal in making the safe and reliable execution of floating wind projects at scale possible,” Myrvang said.
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