Vestas and CMB’s Windcat Workboats pilot hydrogen-powered CTV
Danish wind turbine maker Vestas has joined forces with Windcat Workboats, part of Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB), in launching a pilot program to explore how the world’s first hydrogen-powered crew transfer vessel (CTV) can help reduce carbon emissions from offshore service operations.
The CTV is powered by a dual-fuel solution, capable of being powered by hydrogen in combination with marine gas oil. The solution will be tested at the Norther offshore wind farm and is planned to launch on July 15 and run until the end of the year.
The goal of the trial will be to collect insights into the opportunities and limitations of hydrogen-powered vessels in daily operations. Vestas said the new CTV holds the potential to generate a CO2 saving of 158 tonnes, an estimated saving of 37% less carbon emissions in comparison to a traditional vessel. This saving will be validated during the pilot, as well as exploring how the solution can be scaled up if it proves to have an impact on Vestas’ scope 1 and 2 emissions.
“Hard to abate sectors, such as shipping, will be the final frontier in our global journey towards decarbonisation. Hydrogen is a crucial technology to advance this journey, which is why Vestas is eager to test its potential to reduce emissions from our service operations,” said Christian Venderby, executive vice president, service, Vestas.
The vessel, developed with CMB’s clean technology division, CMB.Tech, will initially be powered mostly by grey hydrogen due to a lack of available green hydrogen, something CMB has also been working on, most recently joining forces with Ports of Stockholm to set up a hydrogen fuelling station at Stockholm Norvik Port.
“This vessel offers the industry a cost-effective solution to significantly reduce emissions from service vessels, which can be applied to any wind farm today. By using dual-fuel combustion engines, we can make hydrogen technology operational in the industry and kick-start further development,” added Willem van der Wel, managing director of Windcat Workboats.
