A pilot project in the Netherlands port of Dordrecht has successfully used an emissions-free crane vessel in what is believed to be a first for the dredging industry.
The crane vessel Christiaan P. is owned by Van Oord subsidiary Paans Van Oord, and is used for many kinds of marine engineering, mainly dredging and installing shore protection and revetments.
In the vessel’s former life, the work was done under power from conventional diesel engines. After retrofitting, the power now comes from two DENS Powerhub mobile battery systems of 870kWh each.
They are charged at night with shore power, but when this is not available another option is to charge from a Nexus fuel cell and hydrogen storage container on board.
The crane, says Van Oord, was also replaced with an electric version.
It’s a work in progress, and testing how the batteries are charged with shore power and the ship’s own generator is currently being done, including whether they can be continuously charged during the actual work using the hydrogen.
Data has been collected so that it can be analysed as to how effective and efficient battery-electric dredging is in practice, and measurements such as energy consumption when sailing at different speeds and during light and heavy dredging operations were taken.
The project was initiated by ZEDHub, a group of companies including Damen, Boskalis, Royal IHC and Van Oord, academic institutions and regional government.
“Companies, the education sector, and government are working together to accelerate the energy transition in the dredging sector,” said ZEDHub director Arjen de Jong. “It’s a great example of how we investigate and improve technical and economic feasibility and the associated risks. By sharing what we learn with the Dutch dredging industry, we can help the entire value chain make progress.”
It consisted of three stages: first, converting from diesel to electric drive; second, replacing the generator with a Modern Stage V NRE Diesel generator; and third, implementing the battery packs.
“As a government, we have the ambition to reduce CO2 emissions,” said Leen Paans, Harbour Master, Municipality of Dordrecht. “That is why we have entered into a multi-year contract with Van Oord, a party that shares the same sustainable vision.
“When tendering for such a contract, we always include this sustainable criterion in the award criteria. In this way, we encourage companies to work on this and we act as a launching customer, with which we promote innovation as the first purchaser. As a government, we can make the right assessment in this, without overtaxing the market with unrealistic demands. This pilot in the seaport of Dordrecht gives a realistic picture of what is possible.”
Collected data is now being developed and analysed.
