Offshore hydrogen bunkering and electric charging is a step closer with the development and testing of industrial mooring buoys, allowing vessels to switch from diesel to green power. The ground-breaking technology, using hydrogen for offshore bunkering, is thought to be a first for the industry.
Ship owner O.S. Energy has partnered with Oasis Marine and Strathclyde University to conduct hydrodynamic analysis and wave tank testing. One of O.S. Energy’s vessels is being retrofitted for hydrogen fuel and a model of the ship will be used during demonstrations and tank tests.
The Oasis Marine Spar buoy will be able to use green hydrogen produced by offshore wind farms, potentially becoming part of an offshore hydrogen highway, whereby hydrogen is stored at an offshore location before being transferred by buoy to vessels transporting hydrogen or using it as their fuel source.
The demonstration, at the Kelvin Hydrodynamic Laboratory in Glasgow, showed how the mooring buoy connects to vessels and scale model tank testing gathered valuable technical data such as the impact of wave conditions and sea states on mooring loads while bunkering. The analysis was carried out as part of the TestHOTS (Tank Testing of Hydrogen Offshore Transfer System) project, with funding and support from the Scottish Government via the Emerging Energy Technologies Fund (EETF) Hydrogen Innovation Scheme (HIS).
George Smith, MD of Oasis Marine, said, “These buoys will have a tangible impact in our shift from hydrocarbons towards a green energy future. Initially we are looking at deploying them in the North Sea offshore wind market. Currently windfarm maintenance vessels rely on fossil fuels and make up the largest component of an operational windfarm’s carbon footprint. While that will be our initial focus, the technology could be applied to other vessels across the maritime industry.”
The Oasis Power Buoy is undergoing an offshore testing plan, with the first pilot demonstration at an offshore wind farm planned for 2025.
