Rolls Battery Systems Selected For Offshore Vessels

Rolls-Royce Commercial Marine will deliver a battery-powered energy system for two offshore vessels operated by Norway-based Golden Energy Offshore.

The delivery includes the SAVe Energy system, which was launched by Rolls-Royce in August. The lithium-ion based energy storage system is designed to be modular so that it can be scaled according to energy and power requirements. Rolls-Royce said it has been delivering energy storage systems since 2010, however, the actual energy storage units were previously supplied by an external party.

“SAVe Energy is well-suited for upgrade projects such as the one for Golden Energy where the system is delivered in a containerized solution that can be mounted on the deck of an existing ship,” said Ronny Pål Kvalsvik, Rolls-Royce, vice president of Sales and Customer Management – Commercial Marine. “It can be used for peak shaving, spinning reserve and, of course, also for fully battery powered vessels of several types in addition to offshore vessels, such as cruise ships, ferries, tugs and workboats.”

In addition, the two vessels will receive an upgrade of the existing Rolls-Royce ship design engineering package to match the new features. This includes an upgrade of the Dynamic Positioning (DP) system, Main Switchboard and the ACON control system coupled with a Rolls-Royce Energy Monitoring system, providing a complete overview of energy usage onboard.

In total, the two platform supply vessels Orla and Frayja will receive an upgrade that benefits both the environment and the economic efficiency of the ships. Golden Energy Offshore’s goal is to achieve environmentally friendly and cost-effective operations for all of their vessels, emphasising energy efficiency, sustainability and a low emissions profile in accordance with IMO’s standard for a Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP). Rolls-Royce said the company is among the few offshore ship operators globally that are fully ISO 50001 (Energy Management Standard) certified, which involves having a framework for measurement, registration, reporting and auditing of energy efficiency.

“We started off by integrating sustainability into business processes and systems years ago, and it has developed into a continuous journey of success with regards to energy efficiency, operational excellence and sustainability,” said Per Ivar Fagervoll, Golden Energy Offshore CEO. “Our environmental journey has been a success, and a retrofit to hybrid battery power is the logical next step for us.”

The vessels operate out of Stavanger, Norway, and are well known to Rolls-Royce. Both vessels are of Rolls-Royce UT 776 CD design with oil spill clean-up capability, and they have an extensive range of Rolls-Royce equipment on board, including the Rolls-Royce Energy Monitoring (EM) system. The EM system was added to the control and automation system of these vessels and started collecting vessel data back in 2015 and has been coupled with other technology pilot projects hosted by Golden Energy Offshore.

“We believe focusing on reduced fuel consumption and emissions gives Golden Energy Offshore a competitive advantage towards charterers. Of course we also have an environmental responsibility, and as a company focus on emissions and sustainability,” Fagervoll said.