Northern Offshore Services (N-O-S) has unveiled its I-Class crew transfer vessel (CTV), powered by the first real-world commercial application of Volvo Penta’s IPS Professional Platform.
The vessel began operating in a U.K. wind farm on September 1. The companies say they collaborated for almost two decades on efforts to decarbonize the marine industry and reach zero emissions by 2050.
To help achieve these goals, N-O-S designed the “future-proof” CTV that the company hopes will adapt to and accommodate new energy solutions while it is in service.
Volvo’s platform is meant to bring enhanced efficiency, maneuverability and versatility that will enable the vessel to transform over its life cycle. This is made possible through propulsion conversions that allow the vessel to adapt to hybrid, fully electric and renewable or future alternative fuel solutions without having to rebuild.
“The offshore wind industry is relatively young and has grown tremendously during the last 15 years,” says David Kristensson, group CEO and owner of Northern Offshore Group.
“The trend we see is that the turbines are getting bigger and are placed further out at sea. As a result, downtime of the turbines costs more so our customers want more reliable services and vessels. These are just some of the challenges that are catalyzing innovation and driving the design and manufacture of our vessels in house to meet the customer demands of tomorrow.”
The CTV’s other features include dual power on demand with Eco Mode. The vessel’s four engines are connected to two drives, meant to meet specific needs at every stage of operation. The vessel’s Eco Mode will automatically start or stop individual engines based on real-time vessel needs.
A second I-Class vessel equipped with Volvo’s platform is expected to see real-world operation next year.
