Ship-aH2oy team visits future-ready vessels at GONDAN

October 15, 2024

During its recent meeting in Spain, Ship-aH2oy project partners inspected the latest vessels being built by GONDAN Shipbuilders for Edda Wind. The vessels are prepared for the innovative zero-emission technology that is being developed in Ship-aH2oy.

The vessels, C503 and C504, are Commissioning Service Operation Vessels or CSOVs built to support the growing offshore renewables sector. They are the last in a series of six future-ready sister vessels built by GONDAN Shipbuilders for Norwegian shipowner Edda Wind.

C503 will soon be ready for sea trials and is scheduled to be delivered to the shipowner in November; C504 was launched in September and will be delivered in 2025.

Building Ships for the Future

With space allocated for hydrogen systems and tanks, the vessels are future-ready for their transformation into zero-emission powerhouses with solutions that are being developed in the EU-funded Ship-aH2oy project.

Iván Artime, Factory Director at GONDAN Shipbuilders, was happy to give the project team a guided tour of the vessels and the shipyard’s facilities. He highlighted the company’s commitment to constructing vessels equipped for the future of sustainable maritime operations.

“At GONDAN, sustainability is a key part of how we build ships. The hydrogen power systems we’re working on through the Ship-aH2oy project will help lower emissions and support a cleaner future for marine operations. Participating in the Ship-aH2oy project is an exciting opportunity for GONDAN to lead the way in developing vessels powered by hydrogen,” said Artime.

Photo credit: Ship-aH2oy

Collaboration for Sustainable Shipping

Backed by the European Union, the Ship-aH2oy initiative aims to demonstrate a new and sustainable solution for powering ships using renewable hydrogen as fuel. The innovative solution involves the use of Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier, or LOHC, to deliver hydrogen to the ship power system.

LOHC is a liquid that can bind and release hydrogen. In contrast to established technologies, it does not require low temperatures or high pressure and is both safe and easy to handle in ports and on board.

The goal of Ship-aH2oy is to have the solution installed and demonstrated onboard one of Edda Wind’s CSOVs by 2027. Beyond this, the project aims to scale the technology across various vessel types to pave the way for zero-emission operations in the maritime industry.

During the recent consortium meeting in Spain, research and industry partners from across Europe explored the shipyard and vessels and discussed the next steps in research and development to get the technology ready for testing and installation.

Photo credit: Ship-aH2oy

Insightful Visit to Vessel and Yard

“We appreciate GONDAN for opening the yard and accommodating for the extensive tour all around the vessel for the participants in the project to see and feel the end-product where the zero-emission equipment will be installed. We believe the visit has given the partners a better insight in how the new equipment may be implemented in the vessel and can further improve the process going forward,” said Ellen Sofie Ottesen, Chief Technology Officer at Edda Wind.

“We are looking forward for delivery of next 2 vessels from Gondán prepared for zero emission operation,” she added.

Project coordinator Markus Rautanen from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland agreed that the visit was of great benefit to the project’s progression.

“It was great to see the actual vessel being built and to walk around at the fuel cell space. The LOHC tank gauges were still showing zero, just waiting for the Ship-aH2oy technology development to be completed”, he said.

Supporting Sustainable Growth in Offshore Wind

The growth of the offshore renewable energy sector has led to increasing demand for service operation vessels to support the industry. These vessels accommodate wind turbine technicians and provide services during the commissioning and operation of offshore wind farms.

Edda Wind is a pure-play operator in the offshore wind industry, supporting clients across the world. The company owns and operates seven vessels, three SOVs and four CSOVs, and has six CSOVs currently under construction. All their newbuilds are prepared for zero-emission technology.

“Our collaboration with Edda Wind has been long-standing, with previous CSOVs already delivered, and now we are building advanced CSOVs prepared for future hydrogen technology. This partnership reflects our mutual commitment to innovation and sustainable maritime operations,” said Ivan Artime at GONDAN Shipbuilders.