Boskalis will convert a number of vessels within its Offshore Energy division, including the crane ships Bokalift 1 and Bokalift 2, into hybrid vessels through the retrofitting of energy storage systems, or ‘power packs’.
The modifications will be completed over the next two years and will also be carried out on two construction support vessels and two diving support vessels, all of which have dynamic position DP2 capabilities.
The conversions are said to entail a sizable capital investment. They will reduce the vessels’ fuel consumption and associated carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions by an average of up to twenty per cent, Boskalis said.
The systems are also said to provide a power supply and energy storage facility while the vessels are docked and contribute to quieter and more efficient operations offshore.
Boskalis said that the company already employs a range of technologies on board of its vessels, including special dashboards to enhance efficient fuel usage and the use of biofuels as an alternative to fossil fuels.
The company plans to reduce its emissions in the near term using currently available technologies and to become climate neutral across its global operations by 2050.
Reductions in emissions are, in part, dictated by the readiness and global availability of suitable alternatives to fossil fuels within the maritime industry, Boskalis said.
For this reason, as a member of a consortium, Boskalis is participating in a multi-year research program to accelerate the use of methanol as an alternative fuel within the sector.
Bokalift 1 completed a conversion from a Finesse type II heavy transport vessel to a self-propelled DP2 crane vessel in early 2018. The vessel has since been deployed on a number of offshore wind projects such as East Anglia ONE in the UK, Saint-Brieuc in France, and Changfang and Xidao offshore Taiwan.
Bokalift 2 is currently undergoing the conversion process from a drillship to a DP2 crane vessel at the Dubai-based Drydocks World. Once converted, Bokalift 2 will join Bokalift 1 on the 589 MW Changfang and Xidao wind farm.