The offshore charging buoy is designed to supply green electricity to vessels that provide services to offshore wind farms
The prototype buoy will act as a safe mooring point and a charging station for vessels. (Credit: A. P. MOLLER – MAERSK)
Maersk Supply Service, part of A.P. Moller-Maersk, has partnered with Danish power company Ørsted to test a prototype offshore charging buoy that is designed to serve as both a safe mooring point and a charging station for vessels.
Intended to reduce emissions for the maritime industry, the buoy is designed to supply green electricity to vessels, which provide services to offshore wind farms.
The collaboration allows Maersk Supply Service’s innovative charging buoy to be tested on one of Ørsted’s offshore wind farms.
Maersk said that the buoy can also be used to charge the smaller battery- or hybrid-electrical vessels as well as supply power to larger vessels.
The prototype buoy, which will be integrated with the electrical grid at the offshore wind farm, is planned to be tested in the second half of 2021.
New buoy to demonstrate power supply to Ørsted’s service vessel overnight
During the testing, the buoy will supply power to one of the Ørsted’s service vessels overnight.
Maersk Supply Service Offshore Renewables managing director Jonas Munch Agerskov said: “The charging buoy tackles a multitude of problems; lower emissions, offering a safe mooring point for vessels, better power efficiency and eliminating engine noise.
“This is also a solution that can be implemented on a global scale, and one that can be adapted as the maritime industry moves towards hybridisation and electrification.”
Ørsted is planning to make publicly available the intellectual property generated in designing the integration of the buoy into the offshore wind asset.
Ørsted Offshore operations head and senior vice-president Mark Porter said: “Ørsted has set the ambitious target of having carbon neutral operations in 2025, which includes the operations of our offshore wind farms.
“We are happy to team up with Maersk Supply Service to test this innovative charging buoy, which brings us a step closer to creating a world that runs entirely on green energy.”