Liquid Hydrogen SOV Concept Unveiled

Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) has unveiled a concept for a first-of-its kind service operations vessel (SOV) that runs on liquid hydrogen.

The French-headquartered company said it has been working alongside Norwegian naval architecture firm Salt Ship Design as well as main equipment suppliers, fuel providers, class and flag authorities, and others to produce the concept—with support from the European Commission.

The groundbreaking SOV, currently in the concept design phase, would be able to operate 95% of the time with zero carbon emissions, only releasing water during standard operations. "This would have a huge positive impact on offshore windfarm operations-related emissions, by preventing the release of about 4,000t of CO2 per year," LDA said in a statement.

"We believe that H2 as fuel is one of the key enablers for reducing the impact of shipping industry in the coming years and help reaching the challenging carbon emission targets for the whole industry," the company added.

LDA said the vessel will display "best-in-class" CSOV operability footprint, with capacity for up to 90 technicians on board and capabilities for 14-day endurance at sea without requiring additional offshore facility, nor heavy port infrastructure.