Eidesvik Offshore, one of the leading companies in supplying shipping services to the offshore oil industry, is committed to good strides in maritime decarbonization. They plan to convert one of their platform supply vessels to run on ammonia, the PSV Viking Energy. With the backing of an industry coalition of partners and having been granted funding under the Horizon Europe program of the European Union, this pioneering project is expected to cut GHG emissions by 70% or more by 2026. This will make Viking Energy the very first in-service vessel in the world powered by ammonia as its main propellant.
Switch to Ammonia as a Greener Fuel
The current view is that ammonia has turned out to be a very realistic clean fuel for marine operations, especially on long-haul routes, as can be seen in the North Sea. Viking Energy, which has been on charter to Equinor since 2003, was contracted to be the test ship for proving that ammonia can help cut the carbon footprint of shipping operations. It does not only prove the possibility of ammonia as a fuel but acts as a blueprint for the innovation toward the whole industry.
Innovation and collaboration have led to such a project: Conversion of Viking Energy can be made possible by collaboration between Eidesvik Offshore, Equinor, Wärtsilä, and Breeze Ship Design. This has been achieved through a combination of financial and strategic support from Equinor. Indeed, further technology and infrastructure development necessary to advance the vessel toward ammonia can be delivered with this. The ESR will be fitted with Wärtsilä’s W25 dual-fuel engine technology that can run both on ammonia and marine gas oil.
Already, the Viking Energy has gained some reputation for being a pioneering vessel in the industry. The vessel was the first offshore vessel to use liquefied natural gas as a source of power and the first to be awarded ‘Battery Power’ notation by DNV etter hybrid conversion in 2016. The current project, named ‘Apollo,’ marks the next chapter in the vessel’s evolution, further solidifying its role as a trailblazer in sustainable maritime operations.
Technical and Financial Backbone of the Project
The main works the vessel conversion will undertake are the installation of an ammonia engine and a fuel gas supply system under the Apollo project. The front-end engineering design work for ammonia technology and ship design services have been contracted to Breeze Ship Design to ensure that Viking Energy is safely and efficiently designed to handle the new fuel. Funded with €5 million from the EU’s Horizon Europe fund, this project is an important initiative in the broader context of green transition goals across Europe. Additional support comes from Maritime CleanTech, a network for accelerated development and implementation of clean technologies in the maritime industry.
The Viking Energy, together with the dual-fuel engine, is being included in the EU-funded ShipFC project, joining tests of ammonia-powered fuel cells. Interestingly, this effort exceeds the bounds of the Apollo project in that it deals with piloting new tech that might further improve the environmental performance of vessels.
Paving the Way for Ammonia in Shipping Industry Applications
The partnership between Eidesvik Offshore and Equinor is a likely game-changer for the broader shipping industry. The demonstration of the realistic use of ammonia as a marine fuel in the Viking Energy project will open up the way for wider use of this technology to help the industry deal with rapidly increasing environmental regulations. The Viking Energy has just secured a 5-year fresh contract with Equinor, and it will be at work in the North Sea for the next five years. This further demonstrates the real-world viability of ammonia in maritime applications.
This focus on ammonia is part of a general trend in the industry to reduce carbon footprints across shipping. With global regulations tightening and demand increasing for clean shipping solutions, projects like Apollo will be very significant in proving the feasibility of alternative fuels and the adoption of cleaner technologies.
Why We Need to Collaborate for a Greener Ecosystem
Effective teamwork that has made the Viking Energy project emerge as a big success for the industry is indicative that the decarbonization goals by the industry can be realized. This is a good representative example of the cooperation—in this case, that of Eidesvik Offshore, Equinor, Wärtsilä, and Breeze Ship Design—toward the development and implementation of innovative solutions seriously needed for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
With Viking Energy all set to be the first-ever ammonia-fueled vessel, this project is another example of the confluence of innovation and collaboration, to drive forward a carbon-neutral transition in the shipping sector. The lessons learned here are bound to guide, educate, and forge the way toward the future of maritime fuel technology.
Source: Eidesvik Offshore