Simon Møkster Shipping taps Vard Electro for the installation of SeaQ Energy Storage System onboard two platform supply vessels

Press Release – Ålesund/Norway, September 9, 2021 – Vard Electro is pleased to announce the signing of two new contracts with Simon Møkster Shipping. The vessels Stril Orion and Stril Polar is scheduled to be hybrid ready by the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022, qualifying them for DNV’s Battery Power notation.

Simon Møkster Shipping has ordered SeaQ Energy Storage System from the technology company Vard Electro, enhancing the company’s efficiency and environmental performance. Vard Electro is continuously developing new solutions to increase energy efficiency and has since 2016 installed their SeaQ battery technology onboard vessels all around the world.

“We are glad to be partnering up with Vard Electro for a second time. With a goal to further increase our fleet’s fuel efficiency and to become more environmentally friendly, Vard Electro and their SeaQ technology was a natural choice for us”, says Tom Karlsen, Chief Technology Officer at Simon Møkster Shipping.

Vard Electro will be utilizing their experience as system integrators and deliver a retrofit, deckhouse energy storage system, for hybrid battery power onboard the two platform supply vessels. The company will be responsible for the entire project which includes engineering, steel prefabrication, installation, integration, testing, and commissioning. Planning and installation will be carried out in close collaboration with Simon Møkster Shipping to ensure minimum off-hire days.

“We are excited to once again have been chosen to deliver our SeaQ Energy Storage System onboard two of Simon Møkster Shipping’s platform supply vessels. We have a solid competence in battery installations, and as a total supplier we can facilitate the installation of battery solutions with minimum downtime. We are proud that Simon Møkster Shipping reverted to us for our SeaQ solutions, and we warmly welcome them back”, says Johan Stavik, Sales Manager at Vard Electro.

Green technology increases fleet sustainability

SeaQ Energy Storage System (ESS) enable the vessels to utilize excess energy in all operating conditions, as well as simplifying the use of shore power. This can substantially reduce consumption and emissions in addition to reducing the vessels’ maintenance requirement. Without compromising operational performance.

Based on unique hybrid technology the main purpose of the SeaQ ESS system is to reduce emissions, fuel consumption and increase safety. The SeaQ ESS stores excess energy available in the vessels to use it later to reduce fuel consumption and optimize vessel performance.  It facilitates for operations with fewer engines online, and the engines online can operate at a more optimal load. Safety is increased due to the batteries’ ability to supply immediate energy in critical situations. 

Control and monitoring of the hybrid system is handled by the SeaQ EMS and the SeaQ PMS, communicating with existing control systems onboard. SeaQ ESS includes modes for peak shaving, spinning reserve and zero emission transit. By using the batteries to absorb and dispense energy through load fluctuations and running the engines at optimal load, significant efficiency improvements in fuel consumption and emission can be achieved.

Stril Orion and Stril Polar are of VARD design and were built and delivered by VARD in 2011 and 2012. They will now return to Vard Electro to install the latest SeaQ technology within battery solutions. 

For further information please contact:

VARD

Hege Anita Akselvoll

SVP Corporate Communications

Mobile: +47 91 69 00 51

[email protected]

About Simon Møkster

Simon Møkster Shipping AS is a supplier of modern offshore support vessels with high quality specifications, designed for operations in harsh weather conditions. The company’s head office is located in Stavanger, Norway and main operational area is the North- and the Barents Sea. Møkster has a fleet of 16 vessels and approximately 500 employees onshore and offshore. Simon Møkster Shipping is 100% owned by the Møkster family.

About VARD

VARD is one of the major global designers and shipbuilders of specialized vessels. Headquartered in Norway and with approximately 8,200 employees, VARD operates shipbuilding facilities in Norway, Romania, Brazil and Vietnam. Through its specialized subsidiaries, VARD develops power and automation systems, deck handling equipment, and vessel accommodation solutions, and provides design and engineering services to the global maritime industry.

VARD’s long shipbuilding traditions, cutting-edge innovation and technology coupled with its global operations and track record in constructing complex and highly customized vessels have earned it recognition from industry players and enabled it to build strong relationships with its customers.

The majority shareholder of VARD is Fincantieri Oil & Gas S.p.A., a wholly owned subsidiary of FINCANTIERI S.p.A. Headquartered in Trieste, Italy. FINCANTIERI is one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups, and a global leader in cruise ship design and reference player in all high-tech shipbuilding industry sectors. With over 230 years of history and more than 7,000 ships built, the Group today has a production network of 18 shipyards operating in four continents and over 20,000 employees.

www.vard.com

About Vard Electro

Vard Electro is a globally recognized and trusted provider and advisor of marine electrical systems. In close cooperation with the customer, Vard Electro offers effective and environmentally friendly solutions with a focus on optimization of the operational performance. This includes reliable and user-friendly systems and efficient service throughout the vessels’ lifetime. Vard Electro works with all established brands in the market, thereby giving customers smart solutions with a high degree of flexibility.

Currently, Vard Electro has installed its equipment onboard more than 300 vessels, including complete systems for power management, propulsion, automation, and navigation. The company is strategically located across the world and operates globally.

SeaQ®

Conforming to the highest industry standards, every SeaQ product and solutions can be delivered individually or as part of a larger integrated package, contributing to the competitiveness of VARD and meeting market needs and expectations. Vard Electro’s product range consists of the product groups; SeaQ Bridge, SeaQ Power, and SeaQ Control.

Vard Electro