The technology group Wärtsilä, the marine industry’s leading LNG solutions and services provider, will supply its advanced Energy Storage System (ESS) to be retrofitted on four Harvey Energy class LNG-fuelled Platform Supply Vessels (PSVs). A fifth vessel in this class was earlier fitted with a Wärtsilä ESS. Louisiana-based Harvey Gulf placed this latest order with Wärtsilä in October.

When the upgrade project is completed, all five vessels will be capable of full tri-fuel operation, thus providing Harvey Gulf with the most flexible, fuel efficient class of PSVs in the Gulf of Mexico. The boats will be capable of closed bus Dynamic Positioning (DP) operation running only one engine augmented by the Wärtsilä Energy Storage System. When stationary in the field or in port, the boats will be able to operate on battery power only, thereby greatly reducing both fuel consumption and exhaust emissions.

“Wärtsilä is very pleased and proud to partner with Harvey Gulf in yet another ground-breaking project bringing technological advancement to the North American marine market. The combination of cutting edge technology, strong customer service, and Harvey Gulf’s market-leading business approach has resulted in a very successful partnership,” says Bill Amundsen, Key Account Manager for Wärtsilä Marine Power.

“The conversion to tri-fuel technology is a tremendous addition to our already successful HARVEY ENERGY class PSV’s. Wärtsilä’s advanced technology and its unwavering commitment to service support were extremely important factors in our decision to select them for this project,” said Shane Guidry, Harvey Gulf President and CEO.

The four vessels, the ‘Harvey Power’, ‘Harvey Liberty’, ‘Harvey Freedom’, and ‘Harvey America’, will each be fitted with a Wärtsilä ESS comprising a Closed Bus-Tie 1360Kw Drive with 746 kWh 1100 VDC Batteries. The retrofitting project will be commenced in 2021 and will be completed in early 2022.

Founded in 1955, Louisiana-based Harvey Gulf International Marine is a marine transportation company that specializes in providing offshore supply and multi-purpose support vessels for deep water operations in the US Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, Africa and Alaska.