The Louisiana-based Harvey Gulf has ordered four Harvey Energy-class LNG-fueled platform supply vessels (PSVs) to be retrofitted with Wärtsilä ESS (energy storage systems).
The Harvey Power, Harvey Liberty, Harvey Freedom and Harvey America will each be fitted with an ESS comprising a Closed Bus-Tie 1,360kW drive with 746kWh 1100 VDC batteries. The retrofitting project will start in 2021 and will be completed in early 2022.
According to the company, when the upgrade project is completed, all five vessels will be capable of full tri-fuel operation, thus providing Harvey Gulf with a highly flexible, fuel efficient class of PSVs for operations in the Gulf of Mexico.
Wärtsilä notes that the boats will be capable of closed bus dynamic positioning (DP) operation, running only one engine augmented by the ESS. When stationary in the field or in port, the boats will be able to operate on battery power only, thereby greatly reducing both fuel consumption and exhaust emissions.