Nor Lines duo debut ‘power by the hour’

The ship operator will pay a set fee per hour of operation in return for which Rolls-Royce will take responsibility for the servicing of the equipment onboard LNG-fuelled coastal cargo vessels Kvitbjørn and Kvitnos – monitoring condition from the shore via onboard sensors and scheduling as well as conducting both day-to-day and planned maintenance. Nor Lines has also ordered Rolls-Royce’s latest Energy Management System, which logs energy consumption and emission levels.

Rolls-Royce will be able to connect to the ship and carry out service activities remotely or, if necessary, send out a service engineer to do the job. Typically all the service rate includes the replacement cost of covered equipment, with the ship owner able to specify (within a defined service area) where and when repairs take place.

Rolf Herheim, technical director, Nor Lines, said: “Both Kvitbjørn and Kvitnos are high-tech ships, and we are in a situation where parties have what it takes to enter into a modern service agreement. That’s why this contract was an obvious choice for us. The crew on board is also looking forward to getting the solution up and running.”

Knut Hovland, director customer and services, Rolls-Royce, said: “Both the Power-by-the-Hour and Energy Management systems have been developed because we now have the capacity to digitally monitor onboard systems from on shore. Our ability to record and analyse huge volumes of data means we can offer ships better and more comprehensive service agreements than we could just a few years ago.”

The service agreement is named ‘power by the hour’ in reference to a leasing and service concept that aviation engine manufacturers – including Rolls-Royce – have operated for several years. Instead of buying engines, airlines pay only a fixed hourly rate that covers both the cost of the engine and its subsequent maintenance and (if necessary) replacement, with the supplier taking responsibility for the engine’s availability. The debut marine contract does not include the initial purchase cost of the engines.

Nor Lines took delivery of Kvitbjørn, the first Norwegian gas-powered coastal cargo vessel, from Tsuji shipyard in China in 2015. Sister ship Kvitnos was delivered later the same year. They were the first commercial vessels to be ordered with Rolls-Royce’s NVC 405 Environship design. Rolls-Royce technology onboard includes a Bergen B35:40 engine powered by LNG, the Promas combined rudder and propeller, a hybrid shaft generator to optimise use of electrical power and an innovative wave-piercing hull design.