Heerema to supply world’s largest crane vessels with shore power

Dutch contractor Heerema Marine Contractors will provide its crane vessels with clean energy by switching them from diesel generators to wind energy. 

By switching off the diesel generators, total emissions will be reduced by the equivalent of the annual emissions of approximately 5,000 diesel cars, Heerema said on Friday.

Eneco will supply power from the wind farm on Landtong Rozenburg. Heerema’s crane vessels are often moored in the Calandkanaal in Rotterdam. The use of clean energy reduces noise and air pollution and significantly reduces CO2 emissions.

To supply the power, an “e-house” of 16 by 9 meters will be built on Landtong Rozenburg together with several transformers. Eneco and the Port of Rotterdam Authority have set themselves the goal of providing vessels, in addition to those of Heerema, with shore power at other locations in the vicinity.

According to Heerema, it is not very common internationally that these types of large vessels are connected to shore power. What makes the project truly unique is the direct supply of wind turbine power to these nearby seagoing vessels, Heerema said.

Eneco (80%) and the Port of Rotterdam Authority (20%) are now establishing the “Rotterdam Shore Power B.V.” with Heerema as their first customer. In addition to supplying Heerema, this new power company wants to supply shore-based power to several companies in the area. Discussions on this are ongoing. Other nearby terminals can be supplied with shore power from the e-house on Landtong Rozenburg.

5,000 diesel cars

Heerema’s Sleipnir and Thialf are the largest crane vessels in the world. These crane vessels are regularly moored in the Calandkanaal in Rotterdam for maintenance or to prepare for projects at sea. Vessels need energy to run on-board facilities. These include pumps, cranes, lighting, air conditioning and other equipment. Vessels usually deploy their diesel generators to generate the necessary power. They make noise and emit particulate matter, nitrogen oxide (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and CO2, among other things.

The diesel generators of Heerema’s vessels produce approximately the same amount of these emissions each year as do 5,000 diesel cars. By switching off the generators, emissions of CO2 are reduced by approximately 15,000 metric tons each year.

Municipal subsidy

With this project, Heerema, Eneco, the Port of Rotterdam Authority, and the Municipality of Rotterdam want to show that it is possible to supply shore-based power to large seagoing vessels, Heerema explained. Because of this demonstration aspect, the municipality has reserved a €2 million subsidy for the project in its 2020 budget.

This is on condition that the e-house on Landtong Rozenburg, in consultation with local residents, will be well integrated into its surroundings. If the Rotterdam Shore Power B.V. can connect several companies and its income increases as expected, the municipal subsidy will be returned.

Integration into Landtong Rozenburg

The project will apply for permits in late 2019 and construction is to start in the spring of 2020. The most important part is building the e-house of approx. 16 x 9 x 5.5 meters, including several transformers. This e-house will be located near Heerema’s berth on the north side of the Noordzeeweg on Landtong Rozenburg. The integration of this e-house into its surroundings is very important and local residents will be invited to express their views on the plans at several meetings in the near future.

Heerema’s vessels also need to be converted to connect to shore power. If everything goes according to plan, Heerema’s vessels will be plugged in sometime next year.

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