Battery-Powered Ships funded By Norwegian Government

The Norwegian government was to reach net zero carbon emissions across all industries and so have begun investing in battery-powered ships. Recently the government has invested more than $10 million into funding two innovative projects for eco-friendly shipping.

“We are carrying out the largest restructuring of the Norwegian economy ever,” said Norwegian Minister of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, Jan Christian Vestre during a press event in Oslo. “Everything will become greener. It is private companies that must lead the way in this transformation, with the public sector as a supporter.”

Ocean Charger, headed by Vard, is one of the innovative projects being funded. This project focuses on offshore wind farms. CThe funny thing about this project is that all the turbines are currently being serviced by fossil fuel dependent ships. Their goal is to build a self-sufficient green environment around the wind farms.

“The offshore wind industry is becoming increasingly important not only for the green energy transition but also for national value creation,” said Håvard Vollset Lien, VP of Research & Innovation in the Vard Group. “With our leading team of experienced professionals, we will evaluate different solutions and business models supplying various offshore vessels with green energy.“

More and more nations are waking up to the reality that there is a huge need to push carbon zero shipping. For centuries different nations have shipped produce around the world to develop their own economy. The trend will not be stopping anytime soon. Norway has a history of leading the way when it comes to rethinking processes to eliminate carbon production. In the near future we could be seeing carbon zero freight, helping to slow down the process of global warming.

Vard were granted 33.9 million to begin research into testing, validation, and commercialization of new technological solutions for energy transfer to battery-powered ships offshore. The project will start in February 2023 and will continue for three years. The aim is to power operations at the field without using any additional energy sources and by charging the batteries of the ship to eliminate the use of fossil fuel.

The second initiative that has been awarded $6.8 million in funding is the Sea Zero project which is being developed by Hurtigruten Norway and its partners. Their goal is to develop zero carbon freight and passenger shipping transportation along the coast. The study highlights modern batteries as a new choice for environmental shipping.  This project shall commence in February 2023 to begin upscaling and piloting zero-emissions technology for ships.

Source: www.maritime-executive