The end of the era of fossil-fuel CTVs?

By Marek Grzybowski

At the end of March, there was a kind of end to an era – not to mention a new beginning – when the British operator Tidal Transit bought its last ever diesel-powered ship – argues Martin Conway, editor of RINA.
Arabella Jane is the latest Tidal Transit diesel vessel to join its offshore wind fleet. This is a modified version of the WindFlex-27 CTV class from Incat Crowther UK. The ship was built by the Singapore shipyard Penguin International. It is equipped with four Volvo Penta D13 IPS engines with a total power of 2,060 kW. Arabella Jane can transport technicians to the platforms. The new unit with dimensions of 27 x 9 m can transport 24 people.
Tidal Transit emphasizes that it is a pioneer in providing access, transportation and crew transfer services in the offshore wind energy market. The company, which operates on the north coast of Norfolk, does not limit itself to the British market. It also positions its offer in Europe. Will he be interested in the Baltic Sea? We will soon find out?

e-Ginny will replace Arabella Jane

The operator emphasizes that it is putting the world’s first fully electric CTV vessel into operation. The e-Ginny will be launched soon. It will be a ship in which diesel engines will be replaced by an electric drive.

In the coming months, Tidal Transit will lead the modernization of the 20-meter diesel-powered Mercurio Ginny Louise. The ship will be equipped with batteries with a capacity of over two megawatt hours (MWh). The propulsors will be powered by electric motors.

The finished ship after reconstruction is e-Ginny. The operator emphasizes that it will not only be 100% emission-free in operation, but will also be characterized by increased maneuverability and, at the same time, will be almost silent for passengers and the surroundings. It is assumed that the unit will be loaded both from the quay and moored at the offshore wind turbine.

– The existing possibilities of charging from shore are severely limited, so the project will expand the ship charging infrastructure by installing both a land charging station from Artemis Technologies and a charger based on an offshore wind turbine from MJR Power & Automation – informs Tidal Transit.

Such solutions will enable direct on-site charging of e-CTVs, significantly increasing the time and range that electric vessels can remain in operation without having to return to port.

The project has received support from the UK government and benefits from funding of GBP 6.3 million. This is the budget for the Zero Emissions Vessel and Infrastructure (ZEVI) program, which is part of the Innovate UK and Department for Transport strategic plan. Its aim is to develop, implement and operate clean marine solutions. Ten flagship projects in the UK have been selected and allocated more than £80 million in funding to enable the industry-led transition to Net Zero. We wrote about one of them here. 
The e-Ginny project is carried out in cooperation with Goodchild Marine Services, Artemis Technologies and MJR Power & Automation. Key equipment suppliers include Volvo Penta, Danfoss and Corvus Energy.
– We have invested in our last ship with diesel engines and that is what we want to change now – emphasizes Leo Hambro, commercial director of Tidal Transit, in “Ship & Boat International”. – Given that all the companies we work with have very clear net-zero goals and the [electric drives – MG] technology is already implementable, there is no reason why we shouldn’t do it – he notes.

Electricity instead of ship fuel
E-CTV will leave diesel ships in the wake. – The crew transport vessel’s diesel engines will be replaced with Volvo Penta’s zero-emission solution to create the world’s first retrofitted electric crew transport vessel (E-CTV), says Charlotta Cronborg, Volvo Penta PR and communications manager.
– We are pleased to be involved in such a groundbreaking project, under which our first-ever Volvo Penta IPS will be powered by 100% batteries – said Mehmet Belibagli, sales manager in the Marine Commercial department at Volvo Penta UK, after the project launch.
In his opinion, the proposed solution is an extremely efficient configuration that will ensure crew transfers to wind farms over longer distances and will be emission-free. Ships will be more maneuverable, making travel safer, faster and more reliable. We believe this is the future for many segments of the maritime industry and hope it will inspire further projects.
The cost of rebuilding the vessel is estimated at £8 million, of which, as previously mentioned, £6.3 million comes from the Zero Emission Shipbuilding and Infrastructure (ZEVI) program. It can be assumed that Arabella Jane will also be rebuilt into an electric unit. Several British operators are using government support to introduce zero-emission units to operate wind farms. We wrote about it here.
Polish operators who are planning to provide similar services should take a closer look at this campaign, which is also developing in other countries. It may turn out that the use of units from the secondary market or converted fishing vessels will be impossible when wind farm operators in the Baltic Sea adopt a strategy of allowing only zero-emission units to operate the installations. Investors in the Baltic OWFs must also recognize the possibility of supplementing their investments with ship charging systems in service ports and at sea.
New possibilities are available every day, one of the most interesting of which is designing electric ships. E-CTV (electric crew transport units) are replacing ships powered by traditional diesel engines. – These engines will be replaced with a zero-emission Volvo Penta solution, which will allow the creation of the world’s first modernized electric crew transport vessel – says Charlotta Cronborg, PR and communications manager at Volvo Penta.

– We are pleased to be involved in this groundbreaking initiative, which will enable our first-ever Volvo Penta IPS engines to be powered solely by batteries, adds Mehmet Belibagli, Sales Manager, Marine Commercial at Volvo Penta UK.
The proposed solution is intended to ensure more efficient transfers of crews to wind farms, reaching longer distances and remaining emission-free. Ships will also be more maneuverable, making travel safer, faster and more reliable. We believe this is the future for many segments of the maritime industry and hope it will inspire further projects.
The cost of modernizing such a vessel is estimated at GBP 8 million, of which, as mentioned earlier, GBP 6.3 million comes from the Zero Emission Shipbuilding and Infrastructure (ZEVI) program. It can be assumed that Arabella Jane will also be modernized to an electric unit. Many British operators are currently using government support to introduce zero-emission units to operate wind farms. We wrote about it here.
Polish operators who are thinking about similar services should take a look at this activity, which is also developing in other countries. It turns out that the use of units from the secondary market or converted fishing vessels may be impossible, as wind farm operators in the Baltic Sea are inclined to the strategy of operating the installations only with zero-emission units. Investors in the Baltic OWF must also see the possibility of supplementing their investment with ship charging systems in service ports and at sea today.