Norwegian energy maritime solutions company Corvus Energy has announced it will supply UK-based shipowner Bibby Marine with its Blue Whale lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery energy storage system (BESS) for the new vessel. It will offer 25MWh of power.
It will be the largest battery system supplied to a maritime project thus far, the company claims. The electric commissioning service operation vessel (eCsov) will be the first fully electric offshore vessel to be built and will be constructed by Spain’s Armon shipyard for Bibby Marine.
Corvus will deliver equipment to the shipyard in 2026 and the vessel is expected to be operational in 2027. It will support the commissioning and operations of wind farms.
Corvus said the ship will use the battery packs as the main source of power with the engines running only for charging at an optimised and constant load. It is hoped this set-up will maximise efficiency, extend battery lifespan and significantly lower emissions.
Corvus also claim that the DC grid architecture will improve the system performance by reducing energy loss and guaranteeing ideal distribution of power. The design features a capacity for offshore charging concurrent with maintaining use of the dynamic positioning system (DP) for station keeping. This will be the first in the service operation vehicle market.
The industry has long been working towards an electric offshore vessel, according to Pål Ove Husoy, VP of sales at Corvus Energy. He said: “This eCSOV will be the first offshore vessel that can operate fully electric for a full day and will set a new standard for future offshore vessels. The unique system design, incorporating both battery power and dual fuel methanol engines, will significantly reduce carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency while providing reliability and performance needed for demanding offshore wind and renewable operations.”
