Electric Ships Re-Charging at Offshore Wind Farms

Maersk Supply Service is launching an offshore vessel-charging venture, Stillstrom. The new venture will demonstrate the world’s first full-scale offshore charging station for vessels at an offshore wind farm, working together with Ørsted, both Denmark’s largest energy company and the world’s largest offshore wind developer. “Stillstrom,” which means “quiet power” in Danish, is an early-stage technology spin-out, whose full-scale product launch will be the first-to-market in offshore charging, enabling idle vessels to power up with clean electricity. Stillstrom will deliver offshore electric charging solutions to vessels at ports, hubs and offshore energy operations. Electrifying outside ports, energy islands, and near-shore locations, also addresses in-port congestion and limited space, the company explains. The power buoy will supply overnight power to one of Ørsted’s Service Operations Vessels, SOVs, which supports Ørsted’s target of climate-neutral operations in 2025. Ørsted will be responsible for the grid integration of the charging buoy. The charging buoys will enable clean power and charging stations with safe mooring for vessels servicing offshore floating and fixed-bottom wind parks. The charging buoy itself is large enough to charge an SOV-sized battery or hybrid-electric vessel. The same solution will be scaled and adapted to supply power to larger vessels, enabling vessels of all sizes to turn off their engines when lying idle. By substituting green electricity for fossil fuels, virtually all emissions and noise pollution are eliminated while the charging buoy is in use.