LDA designs a small hydrogen vessel for offshore wind farm

France’s Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) plans to develop an offshore wind service operation vessel (SOV) capable to run on liquid hydrogen.

PHOTO: Concept design of LDA's liquid-H2 SOV. Louis Dreyfus Armateurs

The concept vessel, dubbed liquid-H2 SOV, currently in the concept design phase, is a collaborative effort with Norwegian firm Salt Ship Design, along with other stakeholders like equipment suppliers, class and flag authorities and fuel providers.

It is designed to operate with zero carbon emissions for 95% of its operational time, emitting only water during standard operations. LDA estimates that this technology could slash offshore windfarm operations-related emissions by preventing the release of approximately 4,000 mt/year of CO2.

LDA has not shared any timeline for the vessel’s development from concept to reality.

The corporation is optimistic about the potential of hydrogen fuel to revolutionise the shipping industry, aligning with carbon emission reduction goals.

“We believe that H2 as fuel is one of the key enablers for reducing the impact of the shipping industry in the coming years and help reach the challenging carbon emission targets for the whole industry,” LDA said.

The vessel will have the capacity to carry up to 90 technicians and a 14-day endurance at sea without additional offshore facilities or heavy port infrastructure.

By Debarati Bhattacharjee

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