– We are very grateful and motivated by this award, and it pushes us to continue our efforts towards zero-emission vessel operations. For us it is also a confirmation from the industry and the market that this solution is a key piece in the green transition for ship operations, and a vital part of our ZeroClass strategy, says Håvard Lien, Vice President Research & Innovation in VARD.

Leading the way in the green maritime transition

The Ocean Charger Concept was officially launched in February this year with a gathering of all involved partners in Ålesund, Norway. Now, with a strong consortium of industry and research partners, VARD will lead the way from research to testing, validation, and commercialization of new technological solutions for energy transfer to battery-powered ships offshore.

The work will be performed over three years. Vard Design will lead the work together with sister companies Seaonics and Vard Electro, partners Rem Offshore, Solstad Offshore, SINTEF Energi, SINTEF Ocean, DigiCat, Sustainable Energy, Equinor, Source Galileo Norge, Corvus Energy, Plug, Shoreline, Sustainable Energy, University of Bergen, Norce and Maritime CleanTech.

The Green Platform Initiative

In December 2022, the Ocean Charger Concept was awarded 38 million NOK through the Norwegian Government’s support scheme The Green Platform Initiative. The Norwegian Minister of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, Jan Christian Vestre, launched the new project at a press conference in Oslo: “We are carrying out the largest restructuring of the Norwegian economy ever. Everything will become greener. It is private companies that must lead the way in this transformation, with the public sector as a supporter,” Vestre said.

In the coming years, a substantial new maritime infrastructure will be developed and built for the offshore wind industry in Norway. Based on the development for other segments, batteries have proven to be the most mature technology for zero or low-emission vessels. This technology constitutes the basis for developing the Ocean Charger project.

By connecting vessels to the power grid in the wind farm and charging batteries regularly, the operational availability of emission-free vessel operations will be secured. The aim is to power operations at the field without using any additional energy sources.