Norwegian shipowner Eidesvik has teamed up with Norwegian continental shelf oil and gas player Aker BP and Alma, a venture under establishment by Clara Venture Labs, to explore the retrofit installation of ammonia fuel cell technology on two offshore support vessels.
A memorandum of understanding between the companies has set the ground for the utilisation of Alma’s proprietary fuel cell technology on Eidesvik-owned platform supply vessel (PSV) Viking Lady and Aker BP-owned PSV NS Frayja, currently under Eidesvik’s management, with the option to include further vessels in the scope of the project as well.
The agreement is part of Eidesvik and Aker BP’s ambitious joint technology project called Retrofit that aims to reduce emissions from existing supply vessels.
“We believe there is a great potential for significantly reducing emissions from the existing fleet with new technology. For us this memorandum of understanding is a result of Eidesvik’s long-term development program that has given us the knowledge and capacity needed to take on challenging and ground-breaking projects,” said outgoing CEO and president of Eidesvik, Jan Fredrik Meling.
Eidesvik recently partnered with Finland’s technology group Wärtsilä to convert an offshore supply vessel to operate with an ammonia-fuelled combustion engine with the required fuel supply and safety system by the end of 2023. Compatriot shipowner Simon Møkster Shipping also joined forces with Wärtsilä to carry out a feasibility study on utilising ammonia as the main fuel for OSVs in dual-fuel engines where LNG is the alternative fuel.
