Op-Ed: Service vessels at the heart of marine electrification

James Edwards

By James Edwards, Chief Engineer – Marine, Helix

Decarbonization is at the top of the agenda across the marine value chain. Suppliers and operators are investing record amounts to allow the industry to meet commitments such as the IMO’s pledge for net zero shipping emissions by 2050.

Inevitably, decarbonization roadmaps for marine all feature electrification to at least some degree. That’s why there are some major investments going into the technology, such as a €1 billion pledge from DFDS for battery electric ships last year. And we should only expect these investments to increase as electric mobility systems mature and become more affordable.

It’s obvious that electrification is a great answer to the environmental challenges facing marine. But what commercial problems could it solve for the sector?

Focusing on the commercial opportunity isn’t a selfish question. Sustainable, continued investment in new technologies often hinges on discovering value-adding applications as a “ground zero” to serve as a proving ground. By proving commercial viability and dealing with implementation challenges, a ground zero application adds value to customers while also serving as an excellent starting point for widespread adoption of a technology.

What’s the ground zero for marine electrification? From my perspective, it’s service vessels. This is an application where electrification can dramatically slash operating and maintenance costs, without requiring significant new investments in infrastructure.

Service vessels—including tugs and support ships for offshore infrastructure like wind turbines or oil rigs—have special requirements in the marine world. They typically operate on short, repetitive routes between a very small set of destinations. And when they are out at sea, service vessels spend a lot of their time stationary beside the ship or infrastructure they’re supporting.

Because of the this, service vessels immediately stand out as great candidates for electrification. They’re much less sensitive than most vessels to considerations around range, which is often the limiting factor in electric drives and batteries. Rather, the main constraint facing service vessels is finding ways to reduce operating costs, downtime, and maintenance.

Since electric drives reduce the number of moving parts in a marine powertrain, this makes them well-suited for service vessels. After all, fewer moving parts mean less wear and tear, which in turn means less downtime and maintenance. But this is only scratching the surface of what electric drives offer service vessels. This is because electrification is particularly suited for marine vessels—or for that matter, any vehicle on sea or land—that needs to idle.

A traditional combustion engine can’t instantly ramp up its power output from zero to 100%. That means that, even when stationary, a conventionally powered vessel needs to continuously run its engines, burning fuel and service life. If it does not, it won’t be able to ramp up power in time to push against a tide, swell, or gust of wind that could threaten to throw it off position.

By contrast, an electric motor can near-instantly power up to respond to counteract force being applied to it, drawing virtually zero power when idle in calm waters. This represents a major saving in fuel and maintenance costs, which in turn changes the economics of service vessels.

Fueling and servicing engines is one of the biggest time and money sinks facing operators. According to 2019 data from the European Tugowners Association, maintenance and repairs are responsible for 15% of the operational costs of service vessels, with fuel responsible for another 12%. Electrification can reduce both these costs by multiples, unlocking sizeable value for operators and customers. Better yet, electrification can also extend the life of service vessels and reduce the rate of depreciation—which in of itself makes up 15% of their operational costs.

So, while initially more expensive than a combustion alternative, the operating costs of electrified service vessels are far lower. Anecdotally, among service vessel operators, we’ve found that this means the cost of an electric drive system is quickly paid off within 6-12 months, through reduced maintenance cycles alone.

In practice, this a game-changer for operators—in terms of cost, reliability, and their own environmental performance. That’s not to mention that it’s also a much more pleasant experience for crew, since there’s no noise, vibration or exhaust fumes to worry about.

This makes the service vessel segment an ideal trailblazer for marine electrification. Even as the technology stands currently, electric drives present an amazing opportunity for service vessel operators. And by unleashing, scaling, and iterating this technology, it’s a category that can prove to the market that electrification works for marine.