Oasis Marine has transferred power to a crew transfer vessel via its Oasis Power Buoy (OPB). This is expected to pave the way for hybrid and fully electric vessels in offshore wind farms, and reduce maritime emissions by expanding vessel charging beyond ports and harbors.
During a series of tests at Peterhead Port in Scotland, energy was transferred via the OPB to a load bank on the GXS Viking crew transfer vessel, through a specially designed deck-head. In mooring tests, the GXS Viking successfully moored to the OPB. Testing was completed on either side of Storm Babet.
Upon commercial deployment, the OPB will initially be connected at offshore wind farms to power crew transfer vessels. The next phases will be versions for larger service operations vessels (SOV) in wind farms, as well as decarbonizing emergency response vessels. According to Oasis Marine, the design optimizes CO2e reduction by supplying renewable power via zero-emission wind power, promising significant progress for maritime decarbonization and acceleration toward net zero targets. This project has received UK government funding through Innovate UK and MarRI-UK.
George Smith, managing director of Oasis Marine, said, “Innovative developments are being made with the design and production of electrified vessels, but the range will always be constrained by battery capabilities. The ability to recharge offshore is crucial for decarbonizing maritime. We have proved that the Oasis power buoy expands the capability to charge vessels offshore, enabling a substantial reduction of CO2 emissions and fuel costs. This ensures hybrid and electric vessel use can be maximized and is a very encouraging development for the global maritime industry.
“Completing testing during the unprecedented Storm Babet brought challenges, but all credit to the team working on this project that we have emerged from these trials with major gains. The core principles of the Oasis Power Buoy have been proved and we now have a program of optimization over the winter months and final tests next spring, before deploying in an offshore wind farm for a pilot project thereafter. As well as our own team, I would like to thank the operational teams from 23 Degrees Renewables, GulfXStream and JifMar Scotland for their excellent support during these trials.”
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