Hybrid Retrofit For Short-Sea Shipping Vessel

Wärtsilä Corp. has signed an agreement with the international shipping company Hagland Shipping AS for a hybrid retrofit installation. The project will take place onboard the Hagland Captain, a general cargo vessel owned by Hagland Shipping. The agreement was signed in December 2018.

The retrofit will include the installation of a Wärtsilä battery hybrid propulsion system as well as a shore power connection to provide power for loading/unloading operations and for battery charging, a new reduction gear with power take-off and power take-in technology, as well as a Wärtsilä NOx reducer.

It is estimated that the total reduction in NOx emissions after the retrofit could be as much as 80 to 90 percent, while overall fuel cost savings are expected to be in the range of 5 to 10 percent, Wärtsilä said. The battery capacity will be sufficient to sail in and out of harbor on electric power for approximately 30 minutes, which will effectively reduce noise and pollution levels in the vicinity of the harbor.

The project is in response to a collaborative agreement between Hagland Shipping and NOAH AS, the Norwegian environment and resource company, whereby the shipping of materials to the island of Langøya in Norway is required to be via environmentally sound vessels.

Wärtsilä’s hybrid solutions are based on a fully integrated hybrid power module. This combines engines, an energy storage system using batteries, and power electronics optimized to work together through a newly developed energy management system.