A SCOTS company in Aberdeenshire is among the first to create technology for decarbonisation of shipping vessels through innovation.
Oasis Marine has developed several industrial solutions including the Oasis Hydrogen Buoy and the Oasis Power Buoy to provide offshore hydrogen bunkering and electric charging.
This allows vessels to switch from diesel to green power – whilst using hydrogen for offshore bunkering is thought to be a first for the industry.
The Oasis Hydrogen Buoy will use green hydrogen produced by offshore wind farms to potentially become an offshore hydrogen highway.
The hydrogen would be stored in an offshore location before being transferred by buoy to vessels transporting or using hydrogen.
George Smith, Managing Director of Oasis Marine, said: “These buoys will have a tangible impact in our shift from hydrocarbons towards a green energy future.
“Initially we are looking at deploying them in the North Sea offshore wind market. Currently wind farm maintenance vessels rely on fossil fuels and make up the largest component of an operational windfarm’s carbon footprint.
“While that will be our initial focus, the technology could be applied to other vessels across the maritime industry.”
Oasis Marine estimates that shipping currently produces more than 3% of all CO2 emissions and the industry has been set a global decarbonisation target of a 20% reduction in emissions by 2030 to 70% in 2040 and full decarbonisation by 2050.
Mooring analysis of the hydrogen buoy was tested as part of the TestHOTS (Tank Testing of Hydrogen Offshore Transfer System) project demonstration.
The Scottish Government funded the analysis through the Emerging Energy Technologies Fund (EETF) Hydrogen Innovation Scheme (HIS).
Smith added: “The maritime energy mix of the future won’t be a single solution but will be made up of different renewable sources.
“Our Oasis buoys deliver two of those through hydrogen and electric charging, both of which come from renewable, low-cost energy generated by wind farms.”
A demonstration at the Kelvin Hydrodynamic Laboratory in Glasgow showed how the mooring buoy connects to vessels and scale model tank testing gathered technical data like wave conditions and sea states.
The project aims to further validate the findings of the wave tank testing.
The Department of Transport through Innovate UK funded the Clean Maritime Demonstration (CDMC1) project that allowed Oasis Marine to develop the design of the buoy and to prove its viability.
Oasis Marine partnered with Strathclyde University and ship owner O.S. Energy to conduct the analysis and wave tank testing.
One of O.S. Energy’s vessels is being retrofitted for hydrogen fuel and a model of the ship was used during the demonstration and tank tests.
Martin Nuernberg, Managing Director of O.S. Energy UK said: “The development and validation of technologies like the hydrogen buoy will enable our vessels to transition to cleaner alternative fuels and have significant impact on the offshore endurance of our fleet.”
