Vestas will run a pilot test on the world’s first hydrogen-powered crew transfer vessel(CTV).
The CTV, also called Hydrocat 48, features a dual-fuel engine supplied by MAN engines. The combination fuel will be hydrogen and marine gas oil.
To become carbon-free by 2030, Vestas is partnering with Windcat Workboats to test the CTV. The pilot program will examine how Vestas can reduce carbon emissions during offshore service operations. The test will also help gather insight into the opportunities and limitations of the hydrogen vessels for daily usage. Vestas will explore methods of incorporating clean energy from hydrogen into their business.
The Executive Vice President of Vestas, Christian Venderby, said, ‘Hard to abate sectors, such as shipping, will be the final frontier in our global journey towards decarbonization. Hydrogen is a crucial technology to advance this journey, which is why Vestas is eager to test its potential to reduce emissions from our service operations. A broader application of decarbonizing technologies can only progress with support from industry leaders, which is why Vestas is proud to be driving this pilot.’
The CTV is predicted to emit 37% less CO2 than the traditional vessel, which will be validated during the pilot test. It will use hydrogen, free of carbon, reducing carbon emissions while generating power output as with carbon fuel. CTV will operate on grey hydrogen as the amount of green hydrogen needed was unavailable.
‘This vessel, developed with our sister company CMB.TECH, offers the industry a cost-effective solution to significantly reduce emissions from service vessels, which can be applied to any wind farm today. Using dual-fuel combustion engines, we can make hydrogen technology operational in the industry and kick-start further development of the technology, regulation, and supply chain. Collaborations like these are needed to scale this technology further, and we thank Vestas for taking this first step,’ says Willem van der Wel, Managing Director of Windcat Workboats.
The pilot program will begin by July 15th at the Norther Wind Firm in Belgium. It will run till the end of 2022, giving ample time for necessary confirmations and validations.
Expressing his gratitude, the Executive Manager of Norther Wind Farm, Christophe De Schryver, said, ‘The operation of a CTV in the North Sea that also runs on hydrogen will create the necessary demand for investments in hydrogen supply. Norther is honored that Vestas is bootstrapping this value chain by operating this CTV at Norther’s offshore wind farm and pleased that we are contributing to the reduction of emissions in this way.’
The Danish wind energy company is devoted to sustainability, as it was named the most sustainable company in the world by Corporate Knights in May 2022. Vestas provides sustainable energy solutions through the manufacture and installation of wind turbines. Asides from CTV, Vestas is looking at using only zero-emission vehicles in their corporate fleet. They plan to phase out service vehicles and benefit cars powered by fossil fuels. In 2020, they introduced 127 sustainably fueled vehicles while transitioning 35% of the benefits car fleet to electric vehicles or plug-in hybrids.
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