Maersk selects Wärtsilä HY Module for first hybrid AHTS retrofit

The 95 metre long, 5,038dwt vessel will operate in the North Sea from Q3 2021. Maersk noted that the battery installation will take place in late 2021 or early 2022, depending on delivery time.

The installation of the Wärtsilä battery hybrid solution will reduce the ship’s fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. The overall fuel cost savings are expected to be around 15 percent. The solution is also consistent with Maersk’s goal of reducing the carbon intensity of its fleet by 50 percent by 2030.

The main system components are the hybrid drive, the energy storage system (ESS), and the transformer. Control and monitoring of the hybrid system is handled by the energy management system (EMS). Together, the system achieves peak shaving, spinning reserve, and significant efficiency improvement by running the engines at optimal load and using the batteries to absorb a large proportion of the load fluctuations.

Wärtsilä has also supplied the full engine room scope for this vessel, including the engines, thrusters, propeller arrangement, seals and bearings, as well as the integrated automation and planned maintenance systems.

“Maersk Supply Service is taking an active role in decarbonising the offshore support vessel sector. This requires both behavioural changes in the way we operate our vessels, as well as technological upgrades to our fleet. With this Wärtsilä HY Module we are taking a significant step on our path to further reduce the emissions from our diesel-electric vessels,” says Mark Handin, COO, Maersk Supply Service.