Norwegian offshore vessel owner Volstad Maritime has contracted Norwegian Electric Systems AS (NES) to deliver the battery pack and associated control system for battery charging to the Grand Canyon III offshore construction vessel.
“The demand for retrofitting battery power on board offshore vessels continues to grow as many shipowners, such as Volstad Maritime, are dedicated to reducing their carbon footprint. Lower operating expenditure through reduced fuel consumption is an additional, attractive benefit,” says Egil Bremnes, sales manager at NES, a HAV Group ASA subsidiary.
Bergen-based NES will provide the equipment to the Grand Canyon III in connection with a vessel upgrade in early 2023. NES has not disclosed the value of the contract.
Earlier this year, NES signed a similar contract for Volstad Maritime’s subsea construction vessel Volantis. While the Volantis battery pack will be installed in a dedicated battery room, the battery pack on board the Grand Canyon III will be installed in a container below the deck.
“Installing the battery pack as a container-based solution can be very cost-efficient for vessels since you do not need to build a dedicated battery room,” says Trond Volstad, project manager at Volstad Maritime.
“Delivering the battery system in dedicated containers will also allow us to conduct extensive testing of the equipment prior to delivery. This means that the yard stay can be shortened correspondingly, allowing the vessel to return to operation as quickly as possible,” says Bremnes.
Grand Canyon III is a 127.5 long and 25 meters wide offshore construction vessel. It is equipped with a 250-tonne offshore crane. Following the upgrade to battery power notation in early 2023, the vessel will enter a five-year charter with Helix Energy Solutions.