Diesel CTV to get complete electric retrofit

CTV supplier Tidal Transit, which is based in Norfolk, England, will retrofit diesel-powered Mercurio 20m vessel Ginny-Louise with more than 2MWh of battery capacity, electric motors and propulsion pods.

She will be able to service wind farms within 20 miles of shore as long as the turbines are fitted with the offshore charging infrastructure provided by project partner MJR Power and Automation, which won an award for its technology in the Seawork Innovations Showcase in 2022.

Artemis Technologies, also a former Innovations Showcase winner, will install the onshore charging infrastructure at the port where the vessel will be based, although the exact location has not yet been decided.

Goodchild Marine Services is also involved in the project and key equipment suppliers include Volvo Penta, Danfoss and Corvus Energy, which is supplying the battery system.

The electric CTV, e-Ginny, will service a UK wind farm, as yet not determined, for a trial period of three years.

“This project is a significant step forward in propelling the offshore transport industry into a new zero-carbon era,” said Leo Hambro, commercial director of Tidal Transit. “As a Norfolk-based company, we’re delighted to be working locally with our project partner Goodchild Marine and, alongside our other incredible design and engineering partners operating nationwide, continuing to lead the way in sustainable and decarbonised offshore transport.”

The project is part of the UK government’s Zero-emissions Vessel and Infrastructure (ZEVI) competition, which was launched in February 2023 as part of the Department of Transport’s plan to develop and operate clean maritime solutions.

Ten UK projects were chosen to split an £80 million fund, £6.3 million of which was handed to the e-Ginny project.

Tidal Transit’s green maritime ambitions have also been given a boost by HICO Investment, which has said it will invest in the firm ‘to drive decarbonisation in the offshore wind sector’.