Vard to deliver battery tech for Atlantic Towing’s platform supplier

Vard Electro has been awarded a contract with Canada’s Atlantic Towing for a hybrid battery power system to be integrated on its platform supply vessel Atlantic Shrike as part of a push to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Atlantic Towing is the first company to implement this multiple mode application of battery technologies on a single vessel in the Canadian offshore oil and gas industry, Vard Electro pointed out in a statement on Tuesday.

Atlantic Towing has received funding for the project through Petroleum Research Newfoundland & Labrador (PRNL) as a component of the offshore research, development and demonstration program of Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan) Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF).

The funding will support upgrades to the platform supply vessel, Atlantic Shrike, and allows the integration of battery systems into the vessel’s existing diesel-electric propulsion plant. The vessel is based in Atlantic Towing’s homeport of St. John’s, Canada and is one of four modern diesel-electric builds.

Vard Electro will deliver a containerized energy storage system for hybrid battery power. Supporting Atlantic Towing’s goal of reducing its carbon footprint, the SeaQ Energy Storage System (ESS) will enable decreased fuel consumption and carbon emissions. The conversion will also reduce the vessel’s maintenance requirement without compromising operational performance.

Peter Pilskog, Vice President Sales & Business Development, Vard Electro, said: “We share the ambitions of Atlantic Towing and are looking forward to implement the products and integrated solutions that will lead to a greener industry. The innovative design and extended battery size offer a range of benefits and will be a perfect fit for the operational profile of this vessel”.

The main system components are all fitted into the self-containing deck house to ensure a fast vessel installation. Control and monitoring of the hybrid system are handled by the energy management system (EMS) that communicates with the existing control systems onboard.

The SeaQ ESS includes modes for peak shaving, spinning reserve, and zero-emission transit. By using the batteries to absorb and dispense energy through load fluctuations and running the engines at optimal load, efficiency improvements in fuel consumption and emission reduction can be achieved.

According to Vard, the main purpose of the SeaQ ESS is to reduce emissions, fuel consumption, and increase safety. The SeaQ ESS stores excess energy available in the vessel and uses it later to reduce fuel consumption and optimize the performance of the vessel. It facilitates operations with fewer engines online and the engines online can operate at a more optimal load.