VIDEO: Ocean Charger marks a milestone

Rem Power was the first vessel to be used in the testing of the Ocean Charger project. [Photo: Vard]

A Norwegian project seen as key to powering offshore wind vessels without using any energy sources outside the wind farm has reached another milestone. Called the Ocean Charger Concept, the project was awarded NOK 38 million through the Norwegian Government’s Green Platform Initiative in December 2022.

“We are carrying out the largest restructuring of the Norwegian economy ever,” said Norwegian Minister of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, Jan Christian Vestre at that time. “Everything will become greener. It is private companies that must lead the way in this transformation, with the public sector as a supporter.”

Ocean Charger officially launched in February 2023 and now the prototyping phase of the project has been finalized. Charging tests have been conducted in port as well as testing of the offshore connection solution.

Vard Design has led the work, along with sister companies Seaonics and Vard Electro, partners Rem Offshore, Solstad Offshore, SINTEF Energi, SINTEF Ocean, DigiCat, Sustainable Energy, Equinor, Source Galileo Norge, Corvus Energy, Plug, Shoreline, Sustainable Energy, University of Bergen, Norce and Maritime CleanTech.

Charging tests have been done in port demonstrating high voltage charging of the ship`s batteries. Testing has also been done of the Ocean Charger offshore connection solution and, says Vard, “have demonstrated successfully that we can connect and disconnect the cable under certain conditions.”

Rem Power was the first vessel to be used in the testing of the Ocean Charger project.

“For us it is extremely important to be a part of the Ocean Charger project,” says Rem Offshore COO Ronny Pål Kvalsvik. “We can demonstrate what we have been talking about for years. Now we have partners bringing this along, and we can prove to the market that this is doable.”