Shipbuilder Damen Shipyards will set sail for the first time with a vessel that can charge at sea with wind turbines. According to the company, the vessel significantly reduces emissions during the maintenance of offshore wind farms.
Previous electric ships could only charge on shore, which limited the range of electric sailing. The new ship, which is 70 meters long and 17 meters wide, is used to maintain wind farms. Once there, you can charge immediately.
Three years ago, Damen investigated the possibility of developing an electric ship and improving the environmental friendliness of ship activities in offshore wind farms. The shipbuilder found that this was technically possible. Shipping at sea will be a challenge.
The company partnered with MJR Power & Automation to create the system. Using a special plank that moved with the waves, both the crew and the ship’s power cable could reach the windmill.
Financially feasible in all scenarios
Damen also investigated various situations to determine whether building such a ship was financially beneficial. According to the shipbuilder, each scenario yielded a positive return. For example, periods from five to fifteen years were considered and different circumstances were taken into account.
According to Damen Product Manager Mark Couwenberg, the launch of the vessel shows that the technology needed to make activities at sea fully electric is available.
“However, we cannot do this alone,” Koenberg says. He believes that to achieve this, cooperation is needed across the entire chain of shipbuilders, ship operators and wind farm developers.
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