First real-world commercial application, driven by innovative spirit
September 5, 2024By Seawork Press FP
Volvo Penta
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A UK wind farm saw the first real-world commercial application of Volvo Penta’s IPS Professional Platform this week as Northern Offshore Services unveiled the new I-Class Crew Transfer Vessel (CTV).
Northern Offshore Services (N-O-S) and Volvo Penta have collaborated for almost two decades on ongoing efforts to decarbonize the marine industry and reach zero emissions by 2050. To help achieve these goals, N-O-S designed the flexible, future-proof CTV to adapt to and accommodate new technologies and energy solutions over its service life of the next 25 years or more.
The Volvo Penta IPS Professional Platform unlocks efficiency gains today with available Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) solutions leveraging alternative or renewable fuel sources. Equipped I-Class vessel engines could potentially see up to 30 percent total fuel savings and emissions through the Eco Mode feature. These engines are approved to run Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) and have the potential to reduce emissions by up to 90 percent.
Volvo Penta’s IPS Professional Platform brings enhanced efficiency, manoeuvrability and versatility that will enable the I-Class vessel to transform over its life cycle through propulsion conversions that allow the vessel to adapt to hybrid, fully electric and renewable or future alternative fuel solutions without having to rebuild. The cutting-edge I-Class vessel is also equipped with a remote diagnostics package, which will capture more than 6,000 hours of data that will be incorporated into optimization and future Volvo Penta propulsion design.
The I-Class vessel leverages four engines connected to two drives to meet specific needs at every stage of operation, providing dual power on demand. The Volvo Penta IPS Professional Platform’s smart Eco Mode automatically manages and optimizes engine use based on real-time needs during vessel operation. Eco Mode will automatically start or stop individual engines in each situation, optimizing fuel consumption and engine running hours.
“Northern Offshore Services and Volvo Penta share an innovative spirit that drives us both. Today that resulted in the first vessel powered by Volvo Penta’s IPS Professional Platform entering real-world commercial operations,” said Johan Inden, President of Volvo Penta Marine.
“N-O-S’ deep experience in building vessels for some of the most demanding environments challenged us to develop new ways to improve our propulsion systems and adapt to emerging technologies.
“Together, we are showing the industry what the incredible manoeuvrability, ease of use and precision of the Volvo Penta IPS Professional Platform can accomplish in combination with the expertise of a partner like N-O-S.”
David Kristensson, Group CEO and Owner of Northern Offshore Group said, “The offshore wind industry is relatively young and has grown tremendously during the last 15 years. The trend we see is that the turbines are getting bigger and are placed further out at sea, and due to that, downtime of the turbines cost more so our customers want more reliable services and vessels.
“We also work a lot with the work environment on board, so that our employees have a modern and safe workplace. These are just some of the challenges that are catalysing innovation and driving the design and manufacture of our vessels in house to meet the customer demands of tomorrow.”
The new I-Class Crew Transfer Vessel (CTV) began operating in a UK wind farm on September 1, 2024.
