Stillstrom by Maersk has completed a trial of an automated cable control system for its offshore charging technology using a vessel operating on dynamic positioning (DP). According to the company, this removes a key operational barrier to charging hybrid and electric support vessels at offshore wind farms.
The trial of Stillstrom’s Offshore eCharger (SOeC) was conducted with offshore wind vessel operator ESVAGT and Semco Maritime at Semco Maritime’s yard in Esbjerg, Denmark. DNV witnessed the test as part of its technology qualification process.
The trial demonstrated automated control of the charging cable from connection through to the vessel returning to its original position. When a vessel is connected to an offshore power source while maintaining position on DP, the cable must accommodate the vessel’s movements and changing distance from the charging point.
For the test, the charging connector was deployed from a height of 15.5 metres, representative of the height at which a Stillstrom system could be installed on a wind turbine or offshore substation. A tower-mounted reel contained 125 metres of cable.
As the vessel moved away from the charging point, the system automatically paid out additional cable and subsequently reeled it back in as the vessel returned, maintaining a constant cable profile.
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The trial covered five elements of the system: automated cable-control performance, the use of RTK GPS as a positioning reference, synchronisation of line speeds between the tower-mounted cable reel and an electric pull-in winch installed on the vessel, the user interface and data-logging functions, and system behaviour under realistic yard conditions.
The latest test follows yard and harbour trials conducted in 2024 and a dry test completed in February 2026.
Stillstrom said the next stage will involve a more integrated test using an SOV and the complete system, followed by a sea trial ahead of final certification, which may also represent the technology’s first operational deployment.
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