Bibby Marine Services has received a grant to explore a range of zero-carbon fuel systems which could ultimately revolutionise the shipping industry
Bibby’s WaveMaster Zero C Research and Development Project will be supported by a grant from MarRI-UK, a collaborative innovation vehicle for UK industry and academia to jointly tackle innovation and technology challenges.
MarRI-UK’s Clean Maritime Call programme aims to find innovative ways to reduce maritime emissions and to promote the development of technology innovation in UK maritime.
Bibby will utilise the design of one of its Bibby WaveMaster walk-to-work service operation vessels (SOVs) in the study.
Using the WaveMaster hull design as its basis, five alternative fuel concepts will be designed: biofuel, hydrogen, ammonia, methanol and battery power.
Each concept will be scrutinised from technical, environmental, economic and legislative perspectives, with each fuel assessed to develop a roadmap for successful implementation.
The project will benefit both the offshore energy and SOV market, but also act as a stepping stone to scale up larger vessels.
Bibby Marine Services innovation engineer and project manager for the WaveMaster Zero C project Rob Osborne said, “SOVs are the vessel of choice in offshore windfarms, yet while new and highly innovative in their function, we now need to focus on their emissions. We can only do this by working with world-class partners in a collaborative manner.
“I am very proud at the range of companies we have brought together to drive this innovation forward. The potential of this project to revolutionise the way Bibby and other maritime operators work is very exciting.”
Bibby Marine Ltd chief executive Helen Samuels said, “We are grateful to MarRI-UK and our partner companies for this unique opportunity to deliver a roadmap to a better future. We are at a clear juncture in time where zero-carbon is the only way forward. This project will support critical developments in the UK shipping sector and beyond and make an enormous contribution to solving the climate emergency we face.”
The Bibby-led project team for WaveMaster Zero C includes: the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, Peel Group, Lloyd’s Register, Ricardo, Damen Shipyards, Square 5 and EFC Energy Solutions. Associated organisations, including universities, will provide input through concept development.
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