Maersk Supply Service orders battery-hybrid OSV newbuild for Canadian project

Denmark’s Maersk Supply Service has ordered a DP3-class, battery-hybrid propulsion multipurpose offshore support vessel (OSV) from Poland’s CRIST.

The Danish shipowner plans to deploy the 110-m OSV in long-term service to the White Rose oilfield offshore Newfoundland and Labrador in eastern Canada for field operator Cenovus Energy.

To be built to ABS class, the OSV is based on a 995L SBC hull design by MMC Ship Design & Marine Consulting as part of project Sea Dragon for White Rose.

A Maersk Supply Service spokesperson told OSJ that the company does not hold any options for additional newbuilds, and plans to take delivery of the OSV in 2027.

"The vessel will not be built to operate on methanol, but will be capable of burning biofuel or a biofuel blend," according to the spokesperson. 

It will have two 1-MWh battery packs on board and several generator sets for power, positioning and propulsion driving three azimuth thrusters and a tunnel thruster.

CRIST said the batteries would cut fuel consumption by around 35% and this vessel, to be named Sea Dragon, would have accommodation and lifeboat capacity for 164 workers and DP3 class dynamic positioning.

The shipbuilder said this vessel will provide infield and logistics services including down-staffing and crew changes, drilling support, field safety and standby, emergency towing and ice management.
Sea Dragon will have “advanced navigation systems, enhanced operational efficiency with the lowest possible environmental footprint, and optimal behaviour and performance in various modes of operation providing the highest possible safety in offshore environments.”