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Volvo Penta and Tidal Transit told delegates at the Seawork conference and exhibition that they had joined forces to outfit what will be the first fully electric Crew Transfer Vessel with Volvo Penta’s new IPS 900E.
The IPS 900E, up to 515kW, was only unveiled last month, and is due to be put out in the fourth quarter of this year – when the 28m x 9.2m e-Ginny, the Tidal Transit outfitted CTV, will also be launched.
“This is proven technology,” said Volvo Penta CEO Anna Müller. “We are starting with the IPS 900E then the 650E, then we will offer a fully electric version of all five drivelines going forward.
“This is an important step in supporting the decarbonisation of our industry in a scalable and standardised way.”
Once e-Ginny has been installed, another two vessels will be worked on, she said, building on the Volvo Penta platform.
“We have been operating CTVs for 14 years,” said Tidal Transit commercial director Leo Hambro. “We have searched for efficiencies to increase the time on turbines and the adoption of the IPS has been a stepping stone for us to prove that we have the first 100% electric CTV in the world.”
The refit of e-Ginny – which brought its own challenges – has delivered Quad IPS engines rather than twin diesels in ‘a massive leap’.
Collaboration has also taken place on charging, with Artemis Technologies providing its shoreside charging technology and MJR its offshore solution – ‘a truly circulars use of energy’, Hambro said.
“We are approaching a time where there will be a rapid change in energy usage as a way of trying to increase the yield of wind power,” he said. “It’s all about trying to increase efficiency.”
It starts with the vessels – which is perhaps the wrong way round – because integrated port solutions also have to be factored in, Hambro admits, and is an area that needs work.
“We are being disruptive in an industry that’s been using diesel for centuries,” he said.
Alternatives
e-Ginny, a catamaran, will use 3-4MWh of Corvus batteries, but the newbuilds will be almost double that size, Hambro said, although they would also have D8 engines to give range extension.
Volvo Penta was looking at passenger ferries as well as CTVs for the electric IPS market, Müller said, and they were keeping an open mind on alternative fuels.
“We shouldn’t underestimate electricity,” she said. “Ports need to increase electricity for roads as well as offshore vessels but there are so many things supporting that. Electricity for shorter ranges is a very attractive thing. But we shouldn’t rule out HVO, for example, and we are looking at hydrogen ice, which would work in certain ports of the world.
“You need to look at how much energy you are using to make these fuels,” said Hambro. “We need a primary source of electricity, wherever it comes from,”
Volvo Penta’s IPS900E will be followed by models like the IPS650E (up to 374 kW) with the aim of electrifying all five drivelines in the Volvo Penta IPS range, targeting power outputs from 220 kW to 1.1 MW per driveline – scaling up to 4.5 MW for quad installations.
Exhibitors; Volvo Penta
