Wärtsilä partners with US firm to develop floating power supply barge

Finnish engine maker Wärtsilä has partnered with US-based naval architecture firm Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) to develop a barge that can provide cold ironing to vessels in US ports.

PHOTO: CG rendering shows a CHAMP barge providing shore power to a containership. Wärtsilä

The barge will serve as a floating mobile power platform that can provide cold ironing or electrical power to large vessels at ports where conventional shore power supply is limited or not available. This will enable vessels to turn off their main engines and use electricity from the barge to power necessary onboard equipment.

Dubbed the Clean Harbor Alternative Mobile Power (CHAMP) barge, it will provide power in the range of 6-16 megawatts (MW) by using green methanol as a fuel source, Wärtsilä claims. It can provide power for up to two weeks or more before refuelling becomes necessary.

The electricity will be produced by Wärtsilä’s methanol dual-fuel engine, which can run both methanol and conventional marine fuels.

The project intends to reduce emissions at the berth and reduce pressure on a port’s electrical infrastructure.

However, the company did not disclose whether the barge would be propelled by green methanol as well.

“The CHAMP barge project represents a significant stride toward tackling the most daunting challenges in curbing port emissions, all while offering the adaptability of multi-megawatt power solutions,” EBDG’s principal in charge Mike Complita says.

By Tuhin Roy

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