Hagland and Wärtsilä pioneer hybrid retrofit
Finnish technology group Wärtsilä has signed an agreement with Norway’s Hagland Shipping AS for a hybrid retrofit installation. The project will take place onboard the general cargo vessel, Hagland Captain and is the first of its kind ever in short-sea shipping applications.
A Wärtsilä battery hybrid propulsion solution will be installed. Included in the solution are a shore power connection to provide power for loading/unloading operations and for battery charging, a new reduction gear with power take-off (PTO) and power take-in (PTI) technology, and a Wärtsilä NOx Reducer (NOR). It is estimated that the total reduction in nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions after the retrofit could be as much as 80 to 90%, while overall fuel cost savings are expected to be in the range of 5 to 10%. The battery capacity will be sufficient to sail in and out of harbour on electric power for approximately 30 minutes, which will effectively reduce noise and pollution levels in the vicinity of the harbour.
The project is in response to a collaborative agreement between Hagland Shipping and NOAH, the Norwegian environment and resource company, whereby the shipping of materials to the island of Langøya in Norway is required to be via environmentally sound vessels.