Vessel prepared for pioneering methanol conversion

Fugro Pioneer is a survey and research vessel built for collecting geotechnical data about the seabed to prepare for offshore windfarm construction. After the new methanol engines are installed, the ship will be deployed on projects in Europe.

Dutch systems integrator Alewijnse played a key role in the preparation work, covering the electrical engineering and automation necessary for the conversion.

“We are supplying and installing a new alarm monitoring and control system [AMCS] and making adjustments to the power management, fire protection, and closed-circuit TV surveillance systems,” said Alewijnse account manager Jim Stolk.

“An essential part of the work also includes the electrical installation for the new methanol bunkering station, including the placement of fixtures and switches.”

Green methanol significantly reduces CO2 emissions and NOx can be reduced by up to 90% compared with conventional fuels.

Methanol burns more completely than marine gasoil, but both the liquid and vapour forms are highly flammable, meaning extra safety precautions and monitoring are required.

“For this reason, we use special programmable logic controllers (PLCs) to monitor safety and potential fire risks during the combustion process,” explained Mr Stolk.

“We drew on our extensive experience with safety PLCs, which we also regularly apply to industrial projects.”

Alewijnse refit manager Ben Bonte said the five-year maintenance inspection was carried out on Fugro Pioneer and more work is coming.

“Preparations for installing the AMCS are already in full swing,” he said. “Once our engineering team completes the design, we will be able to install the system in the coming months while the ship is at sea.

“Everything on the ship has been prepared for installing the new methanol engines. The actual switch to the new AMCS and the installation of the new methanol engines are scheduled for Q4 of this year.”

Alewijnse has previous experience in converting ships to use alternative fuels.

“Such as Samuel de Champlain. Europe’s first dredging vessel to be converted to a dual-fuel application, the ship’s engines run on both MGO and LNG,” said Alewijnse project manager Bertran Smit. “Other examples are crew transfer vessels Hydrocat 48 and Hydrocat 55, These vessels in the Windcat series run on both diesel and hydrogen.”

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