Ocean Charger nominated for Ocean Solution Award
We are proud to inform that the Ocean Charger concept is one of five nominees for the Ocean Solution Award that has the potential of revolutionize the industry. The winner will be announced during Nor-Shipping this June.
The 2023’s shortlist consists of:
- VARD | Ocean Charger Concept
- Silverstream Technologies | Air lubrication system
- Alfawall | Oceanbird Wind assist technology
- WinGD | Compression ratio technology for two-stroke marine engines
- Kongsberg Digital | Vessel Insight and Kognifai Marketplace
The nominees were selected by an international jury of experts and was tasked to assess nominations on the criteria of: originality of the service, design, concept or equipment item; impact with regard to either ocean sustainability, logistics, or ship operation; addressing current or anticipated challenges for the industry; expected benefit for the industry generally, and to users/customers specifically; and applying best practices or ideas from other industries. The nominees impressed the judges with their ingenuity and potential to revolutionize the industry.
We are thrilled that Ocean Charger has been nominated to Ocean Solutions Award, and for us it is a confirmation that the Ocean Charger solution is a relevant and important piece in tomorrows' shipping operations. The project is well underway and we are presently simulating the offshore charging operation in a digital environment, to verify the solution before finalizing the shipboard version. Full-scale testing in the North Sea will commence during the winter of 2023-24.
– Håvard Vollset Lien, VP of Research & Innovation in the Vard Group.
Leading the way in the green maritime transition
The Ocean Charger Concept was officially launched in February this year with a gathering of all involved partners in Ålesund, Norway. Now, with a strong consortium of industry and research partners, VARD will lead the way from research to testing, validation, and commercialization of new technological solutions for energy transfer to battery-powered ships offshore.
The work will be performed over three years. Vard Design will lead the work together with sister companies Seaonics and Vard Electro, partners Rem Offshore, Solstad Offshore, SINTEF Energi, SINTEF Ocean, DigiCat, Sustainable Energy, Equinor, Source Galileo Norge, Corvus Energy, Plug, Shoreline, Sustainable Energy, University of Bergen, Norce and Maritime CleanTech.
Under construction at VARD Søviknes, the CSOV (Construction Service Operation Vessel) REM Power is the first vessel to partake in the testing of Ocean Charger Concept. By connecting vessels to the power grid in the wind farm/harbour and charging batteries regularly, the aim is to power operations with a minimum additional energy sources.
The Green Platform Initiative
In December 2022, the Ocean Charger Concept was awarded 38 million NOK through the Norwegian Government's support scheme The Green Platform Initiative. The Norwegian Minister of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, Jan Christian Vestre, launched the new project at a press conference in Oslo: "We are carrying out the largest restructuring of the Norwegian economy ever. Everything will become greener. It is private companies that must lead the way in this transformation, with the public sector as a supporter," Vestre said.
In the coming years, a substantial new maritime infrastructure will be developed and built for the offshore wind industry in Norway. Based on the development for other segments, batteries have proven to be the most mature technology for zero or low-emission vessels. This technology constitutes the basis for developing the Ocean Charger project.
By connecting vessels to the power grid in the wind farm and charging batteries regularly, the operational availability of emission-free vessel operations will be secured. The aim is to power operations at the field without using any additional energy sources.
