Kongsberg Maritime to Perform ‘Green Upgrade’ on NCA’s Hybrid Vessel
Kongsberg Maritime has been hired as the lead integrator for hybrid and propulsion upgrade of the Norwegian Coastal Administration's (NCA) hybrid vessel OV Bøkfjord.
The project will include installation of Kongsberg Maritime's electric Rim-Drive azimuth thrusters, together with an upgrade of hybrid capacity.
The NCA is a national agency under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, responsible for coastal management, maritime safety, and emergency preparedness against acute pollution.
The OV Bøkfjord was its first hybrid vessel, delivered in 2016 and one of the first battery hybrids delivered from Kongsberg Maritime.
The company will now lead the upgrades to the vessel’s hybrid capacity and propulsion systems, which aligns with NCA’s strong focus on reducing environmental impacts, emission reduction, sustainable supply chain, and safer operations.
Kongsberg Maritime has engaged in operational and predictive analytics, comparing current fuel consumption with several decarbonization options. These analytics supported decision-making to meet the NCA’s future goals within emission reductions.
The vessel charges its batteries with clean energy from Norway's hydro-dominated power grid and utilizes this in its daily operations, safeguarding coastal navigation infrastructure.
Additionally, the new propellers have been hydrodynamically optimized to significantly reduce noise compared to their predecessors, improving the crew environment and marine life below water.
"This project proved that the hybrid technology has developed significantly over the last ten years since the OV Bøkfjordwas first introduced. Back then, it was a pioneer of its time, and today through this range of upgrades, we’re ensuring it will have even better environmental performance, for many years to come. Through our detailed analysis we have been able to expand the battery capacity by four times compared to the original design.
“To maximize emission reductions, we found that changing propulsion technology to our Rim-Drive azimuth thrusters allows the vessel to operate for much longer periods on full electric, emission-free clean energy,” said Eivind Midtlid, Sales Manager Offshore Integration & Energy, Kongsberg Maritime.