CBO Flamengo to get Wärtsilä’s hybrid propulsion

Brazil’s offshore support vessel operator CBO has signed an agreement with the technology group Wärtsilä to convert one of its vessels to operate with hybrid propulsion.

The CBO Flamengo will be the first vessel in Latin America to be fitted with a battery pack for hybrid propulsion, compliant with the DNV-GL’s ‘Battery Power’ class notation.

By switching to batteries CBO aims to improve the vessel’s energy consumption and reduce its carbon footprint.

“The hybrid system will provide redundancy power and reduce intermittent load increases (peak shaving), thereby saving fuel and reducing exhaust emission levels. Furthermore, because the engines will operate for fewer running hours, maintenance requirements and costs will be reduced,” Wärtsilä said.

The scope includes power conversion, project services, hybrid solution delivery, and commissioning. Delivery of the Wärtsilä equipment is scheduled for April 2021, while installation and integration of the equipment will be handled by CBO.

“We seek less fossil fuel consumption and this, aligned with our ESG (environmental and social governance) initiatives, makes the decision to install batteries in our vessels a natural path. CBO will offer more efficient operation to our clients, and this will be the first step of more to come,” says Marcelo Martins, Technical and Commercial Director at CBO.