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Corvus Energy has been selected as the supplier of a lithium-ion-based energy storage system (ESS) for the hybridization of Farstad Shipping's platform supply vessel (PSV), Far Sun in the second half of 2017.

The Orca Energy ESS from Corvus will supply electrical power to the PSV's propulsion system electrical network to enable environmentally-friendly and lower-cost operations.

The energy storage system will be utilized during all aspects of the PSV's operation, particularly during dynamic positioning and harbour operations where fuel consumption and emissions will be significantly reduced.

Equally important to Farstad and its client Statoil (which maintains a long-term charter for the PSV), the ESS will increase safety through provision of spinning reserve for improved response time as well as increased redundancy.

"As we have experienced with many vessel types, the Orca ESS is ideally suited for the hybridization of the Far Sun PSV," said Ronald Hansen, Global Service Manager of Corvus Energy. "Through close collaboration with Vard, our teams have developed a lean solution which meets the aggressive environmental, safety, performance and operating cost objectives of Farstad and Statoil."

As reported in June, Statoil recently looked favourably on bunker-saving ships in the award of new contracts covering seven supply vessels. Statoil is focused on efficient operations, reduced environmental impact and safety. Through a long-term contractual relationship and a strong emphasis on reducing emissions, Statoil has been a key element in efforts to have battery technology installed on board the Far Sun.

"The energy storage system will provide significant savings for Farstad and Statoil over time, enabling the ship to more efficiently utilize energy produced by the generators, as well as simplifying the use of shore power. This will substantially reduce consumption and emissions. Another effect is less noise from ships in port," commented Christian Sovik, VP Global Services of Vard Electro, which will be performing the ESS integration.

Corvus's Orca ESS product line delivers a range of products which are designed to meet the needs of various marine customers. Orca Energy is designed for applications that require large amounts of energy, such as ferries and merchant vessels, while Orca Power is said to be more suitable for applications that require a seamless response to dynamic power loads, such as offshore supply vessels and port equipment.

Corvus already has more than 80 installations utilizing a Corvus ESS, totalling more than 45 megawatt hours (MWh) and 1 million operating hours.

Last year, Bunker Index reported that project partners DNV GL, Statoil and Farstad Shipping claimed to have demonstrated that offshore supply vessels (OSVs) can save up to EUR 21,000 on their annual fuel bill by running the vessel at optimal trim.

During the pilot test, the Far Sun ran for approximately six months using DNV GL's ECO Assistant, while the results of another vessel with the same operational profile, the Far Sygna, were compared.

Image: The Far Sun - an offshore supply vessel (OSV) owned by Farstad and chartered by Statoil.