Harvey Gulf moves ahead with battery-hybrid refits

New Orleans-based Harvey Gulf International Marine will refit its dual-fuel platform supply vessel Harvey Champion with GE’s SeaGreen Energy Storage System (ESS), making it one of the first US-flag OSVs able to operate on LNG or battery power.

Harvey Champion is one of five LNG-fuelled platform supply vessels (PSVs) in operation in Harvey Gulf’s fleet. Another is under construction at its Gulf Coast Shipyard Group (GCSG) in Gulfport, Mississippi. All of the LNG-fuelled PSVs are expected to be fitted with battery-hybrid technology.

Harvey Gulf has already contracted Wärtsilä to supply an energy storage system, energy management system, transformer and drive, all mounted inside a single container for the refit of a sister vessel, Harvey Energy. Wärtsilä will deliver its battery-hybrid module to GCSG in December.

Built at GCSG, Harvey Energy and Harvey Champion are based on a Vard 1 311 design from Vard Marine (formerly STX Marine). Each vessel has an overall length of 92 m, beam of 19.5 m, with a clear deck area of 974 m² and dynamic positioning class 2 capability.

GE’s SeaGreen solution manages energy sources according to load demand, enabling marine operators to optimise energy usage while providing continuity of operations, increased efficiency and reduced emissions.

Included in the transformerless solution are two 1,000-A systems, each with batteries, drives and supporting cooling and safety systems, all mounted within an ISO container for ’plug-and-play’ installation.

“Harvey Champion is one of America’s first offshore support vessels that will be equipped with a battery energy storage system, aiming to achieve emissions reduction and fuel-efficiency benefits,” said Harvey Gulf chief executive Shane Guidry.

SeaGreen ESS can provide backup power in the event of a power blackout, reserve power in case of engine failure and smooth out peak power fluctuations. The battery module minimises the need to run additional engines, reducing fuel consumption and engine-hour running costs.

“With decades of marine experience, we have a large number of electric and hybrid systems in operation, delivering required performance to the world’s vessel operators across a diverse marine segment,” said GE Power Conversion chief executive of marine and oil and gas Ed Torres. “SeaGreen can fully integrate with GE’s automation and control and dynamic positioning systems to provide optimised operating experience and vessel performance.”

GE’s SeaGreen solution for Harvey Champion has dual channels, which allows one container to back up two separate switchboards. It is fully self-contained, requiring only electrical connections to the vessel.