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A consortium led by Bibby Marine has received over £20m in Government funding to build a new vessel.
The Liverpool-headquartered company, which owns the Bibby Stockholm barge that has been used to house asylum seekers, has secured the money alongside Port of Aberdeen, Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, Kongsberg, DNV, Shell and Liverpool John Moores University.
The funding from the Zero Emission Vessel Infrastructure (ZEVI) competition will be put towards the construction of the world’s first zero-emission electric Service Operation Vessel (eSOV).
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Bibby Marine said the eSOV will have a “powerful” battery system and dual fuel methanol engines for back up, along with associated shore-charging facilities.
The company received £19.4m while Liverpool John Moores University has awarded almost £100,000, DNV (£27,138), Shell (£120,320), Aberdeen Harbour Board (£224,828) and Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult (£197,752).
The project is expected to cost more than £30m in total.
Bibby Marine CEO Nigel Quinn said: “We are excited to receive this funding and to work with our partners to launch the world’s first eSOV – the first new vessel for Bibby Marine in five years.
“This project is the natural progression of our decarbonisation journey, which began in 2019, to find the right solution to achieve our net-zero goals.
“Designed in the UK, the vessel will be a game changer for our industry – supporting its ambitions to turn the UK into the world’s number one centre for green technology, create jobs and accelerate our path to net zero, by harnessing the best of British technologies. The vessel also offers the opportunity for customers to increase local content and will shine a light on UK innovation.
“We strive to be the UK’s clean and most committed SOV operator, and our commitment to innovation and sustainability drives us towards these zero-emission solutions.
“This project is a crucial part of this vision and is in keeping with our own Environmental and Social Governance framework and net zero targets. The project will catapult our efforts for our own green future, resulting in Bibby Marine having one of the most advanced, efficient, and environmentally friendly SOVs on the market.”
Andrew Macdonald, director of development and operations at ORE Catapult, added: “We are delighted to be supporting Bibby and partners in a project to create the world’s first zero-emission e-SOV – delivering a vessel capable of operating solely on 20MWh of batteries.
“ORE Catapult will play an important role in understanding the lifecycle fuel savings of a zero-emission vessel, and what can be done to maximise UK content within this market.
“This project will strengthen and demonstrate the ability of UK industry as a partner in design, manufacture and certification of the 300 vessels of this kind needed in Europe by 2050.”
Lucas Ribeiro, regional manager, region West Europe at DNV, said: “At DNV we are very pleased to have been chosen as the preferred classification partner for the first zero-emission UK e-SOV. We look forward to working closely with Bibby Marine and the consortium partners on this innovative design.
“The number of fully electric and hybrid vessels will surge over the next few years and continuing development on these technologies will be a key part of the maritime industry’s transition to a zero-carbon future.
“DNV is looking forward to combining our extensive technical, offshore, renewable and battery experience, working in ensuring a successful fully compliant and future proof vessel delivery.”
Alexandra Ebbinghaus, GM Marine Decarbonisation at Shell,, added: “Shell is delighted to be part of this consortium, verifying the framework to manage maritime risk for the world’s first zero-emission e-SOV.
“This is an exciting project that will push the industry forward and help decarbonise short-sea shipping, whilst continuing to prioritise safe and efficient operations.
“We look forward to supporting our long-term customer, Bibby Marine, as well as strengthening our collaboration with Kongsberg Maritime, DNV, the Port of Aberdeen and other consortium members.”
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