Siemens Energy wins hybrid propulsion deal for NOAA research ships

The Oceanographer and Discoverer are being built for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and will support various missions, including general oceanographic research and exploration, climate and ocean ecosystem studies and worldwide ocean survey and data collection.

“We are proud to work alongside our project partners Thoma-Sea and TAI Engineers, the operators NOAA, and Naval Sea Systems Command, to build these two state-of-the-art research vessels,” said Luke Briant, head of Marine Solutions Americas at Siemens Energy.

Siemens Energy will equip both ships with SiSHIP Blue Drive PlusC diesel-electric propulsion systems and BlueVault Battery Storage Solutions. The combination of technologies will give additional fuel savings and emissions reductions by allowing NOAA to optimise loading on variable speed diesel engines. It will also reduce maintenance associated with the engines.

Compared to vessels with traditional fixed-speed diesel engines, Siemens estimates its technology will lead to fuel savings of 15,000 gallons per year for each vessel, equivalent to the planting of more than 370,000 trees.

The SiSHIP Blue Drive PlusC diesel propulsion technology has been installed on more than 80 marine vessels worldwide, including the world’s first all-electric car ferry and the world’s largest cruise passenger ferry.

The Oceanographer and Discoverer are scheduled to enter operation in 2024 and 2025 respectively. Each will host a crew of 20 and can accommodate up to 28 scientists.