American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has been selected to class two Offshore Supply Vessels (OSV) being retrofitted with a battery/converter system by Harvey Gulf International Marine. The Harvey Energy will become the first ABS-classed dual-fuel (LNG/marine diesel) and battery vessel and the first U.S. flagged OSV equipped with a battery/converter system. Significant emissions reduction is expected to be achieved.

The Harvey Supporter will become the second vessel in the Harvey Gulf fleet to have a battery power system.

The battery installation, which is expected to achieve the ABS class notation ESS-LiBATTERY, will significantly enhance the efficiency and environmental performance of the vessel.

“ABS is a leader in hybrid projects in the offshore sector and we are proud to be involved in another project driving the sustainable development of the industry,” said Matt Tremblay, ABS Senior Vice President, Global Offshore. “The project will effectively create tri-fueled vessels with significant potential to reduce fuel consumption and emissions.”

“We chose ABS due to its significant experience in LNG and dual fuel energy,” said Shane Guidry, Chairman and CEO of Harvey Gulf. “We are pleased to add them to our project team, which is committed to delivering the best emissions and fuel savings technologies to our customers, our country and our industry.”

The installation of a 1,450 kW battery hybrid solution is anticipated to reduce the Harvey Energy’s exhaust emissions, fuel consumption, and noise level. The overall fuel cost savings are expected to be in the range of 10 to 20 percent, according to Harvey Gulf International. The battery capacity will be sufficient to sail in and out of harbor on electric power with fewer engines running, while also supplementing hotel load electricity when docked, which would reduce noise and pollution levels in the harbor area. Furthermore, the ability to operate on battery power will assist redundancy during critical dynamic positioning (DP) operations at the offshore platform.

Harvey Gulf International Marine, founded in 1955, is a privately owned and operated marine transportation company that specializes in providing fast supply vessels, offshore supply and multi-purpose support vessels for deepwater operations.

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