Ocean Charger nominated for Ocean Solution Award

The 2023’s shortlist consists of:

VARD with SEAONICS and partners| Ocean Charger Concept

Silverstream Technologies | Air lubricationsystem

Alfawall | Oceanbird Wind assist technology

WinGD | Compression ratio technology fortwo-stroke marine engines

Kongsberg Digital | Vessel Insight and Kognifai Marketplace

The nominees were selected by an international jury of experts and was tasked to assess nominations on the criteria of originality of the service, design, concept or equipment item; impact with regard to either ocean sustainability, logistics, or ship operation; addressing current or anticipated challenges for the industry; expected benefit for the industry generally, and to users/customers specifically; and applying best practices or ideas from other industries. The nominees impressed the judges with their ingenuity and potential to revolutionize the industry.

"We are thrilled that Ocean Charger has been nominated to Ocean Solutions Award, and for us it is a confirmation that the Ocean Charger solution is a relevant and important piece in tomorrow's shipping operations. At SEAONICS we are fully committed to the first work package where we are leading the work to develop a system for high-power offshore charging. Full-scale testing in the North Sea will commence during the winter of 2023-24".

-Terje Steffensen, Senior Concept Designer in SEAONICS

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‍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.

Under construction at VARD Søviknes, the CSOV (Construction Service Operation Vessel) REM Power is the first vessel to partake in the testing of Ocean Charger Concept. By connecting vessels to the power grid in the wind farm/harbour and charging batteries regularly, the aim is to power operations with a minimum additional energy sources.

The Green Platform Initiative

In December 2022, the Ocean Charger Concep twas 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 operation sat the field without using any additional energy sources.

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