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Latin America Getting First Hybrid Propulsion Offshore Support Vessel

Latin America Getting First Hybrid Propulsion Offshore Support Vessel

Mike Schuler
Total Views: 276
November 11, 2020

CBO Flamengo. Photo courtesy Wartsila

The platform supply vessel CBO Flamengo is set to become the first offshore support vessel in Latin America to be converted to hybrid power.

CBO, one of the Brazil’s leading opertors of offshore suppport vessels, has hire Finnish technology group Wärtsilä for the conversion project.

The CBO Flamengo will be fitted with a battery pack for hybrid propulsion, importing the vessel’s energy consumption and reducing its cargo footprint. The order with Wärtsilä was placed in October 2020.

The vessel will be outfitted with Wärtsilä Hybrid Solution, complies with the DNV-GL’s ‘Battery Power’ class notation, allowing the ship’s engines to run more efficiently by operating safely with fewer engines at a higher load. The hybrid system will provide redundancy power and reduce intermittent load increases (peak shaving), thereby saving fuel and reducing exhaust emission levels. Furthermore, because the engines will operate for fewer running hours, maintenance requirements and costs will be reduced.

“CBO is always interested in new technologies and innovation is in our DNA. We seek less fossil fuel consumption and this, aligned with our ESG (environmental and social governance) initiatives, makes the decision to install batteries in our vessels a natural path. CBO will offer more efficient operation to our clients, and this will be the first step of more to come. Wärtsilä is a leader in innovation and has extensive know-how in hybrid battery systems for ships, so we are pleased to join forces with Wärtsilä to implement new technologies into CBO’s fleet,” says Marcelo Martins, Technical and Commercial Director at CBO.

The scope of the conversion includes the power conversion, project services, the hybrid solution delivery, and commissioning. Delivery of the Wärtsilä equipment is scheduled for April 2021. Installation and integration of the equipment will be handled by CBO.

“We are proud that a forward-looking company like CBO has selected Wärtsilä as its project partner in supplying this ground-breaking technology for Brazil’s first hybrid vessel. Our strong track-record and depth of experience in developing advanced hybrid solutions were the key reasons for the award of this contract,” says Ian Brouwer, Senior Sales Manager at Wärtsilä Marine Power.

CBO’s fleet currently comprises 32 vessels ranging in types that includes PSVs, RSVs, OSRVs and AHTSs.

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