How to decarbonise subsea support vessels

Subsea support vessel owners looking to reduce their environmental footprint need to gather operational data and use analytics to provide insights for cutting fuel consumption.

International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) director of strategy and energy transition, Lee Billingham, says owners should consider these “low-hanging fruit” options before working on capital-intensive retrofits and newbuilds.

He said owners could consider installing batteries and selecting technologies for hybrid propulsion, but must ensure crew and vessel safety.

He was speaking at Riviera’s Offshore Support Journal Subsea Conference, held in London, UK, on 3 February, when he said the industry was looking at ways to go fully electric with offshore and onshore charging.

However, technology is moving quicker than the industry can produce best practice, safety guidance and regulations, which leaves a gap, says Mr Billingham.