Norwegian vessel owner and operator Volstad Maritime is retrofitting more of its offshore construction vessels to battery hybrids.
The Aalesund-headquartered company has contracted HAV Group’s subsidiary Norwegian Electric Systems (NES) to deliver the battery pack and associated control system for the 2015-built OCV Grand Canyon II one month after it earmarked the sister vessel Grand Canyon III for battery power notation upgrade.
Both ships, fixed to Helix Robotics Solutions, the UK robotics division of Helix Energy Solutions, will be retrofitted in 2023. The battery packs will be installed in a container below the deck, which according to NES, can be a more cost-efficient solution than building a dedicated battery room. “Delivering the battery system in a container also allows NES to conduct extensive testing of the equipment prior to deliver, allowing the yard stay to be shortened correspondingly,” the company said.
In June this year, Volstad Maritime also tapped NES for battery hybrid conversion of the 2008-built subsea construction vessel Volantis as part of its two-year time charter agreement with compatriot DeepOcean commencing in the first quarter of 2023.
“Volstad Maritime was one of the first offshore owners to achieve the ISO 50001 accreditation for Energy Management Standard.The installation of batteries will take these efforts further forward and make the vessels even more attractive,” the company said.
