Caterpillar Marine has agreed with Louisiana, US based Jackson Offshore Operators to pilot an integrated hybrid energy solution aimed at reduction of fuel consumption and diesel exhaust emissions.
Jackson is a full-service offshore transportation company providing marine services in the Gulf of Mexico. The companies will demonstrate the technology on Jackson Offshore’s Thunder Platform Supply Vessel, jointly working towards the reduction of GHG emissions while at the same time optimising the system performance.
The diesel-electric Thunder will be upgraded with a hybrid energy solution to complement its power plant of two Cat 3516 and 2 x C32 generator sets. The hybrid energy solution will be incorporated into the vessel by dealer Louisiana Cat which will oversee the installation and commissioning of the new equipment.
Brad Johnson,VP Caterpillar Marine, said: “This exciting opportunity comes at the intersection of two key industries served by Caterpillar: marine transportation and oil & gas. We are very pleased to collaborate with Jackson Offshore on such innovative solutions to reduce the environmental impact.”
Lee Jackson, president and CEO Jackson Offshore Operators, added: “Jackson Offshore is very excited to be partnering with Caterpillar in the development of an energy storage solution (ESS) for our offshore vessels (OSV). The primary objective of this project is to generate long-term value to our clients as they seek to meet their carbon emissions reduction initiatives. Jackson Offshore is very serious about reducing carbon emissions and as such we are committed to being a key part of our client’s effort in emission reduction goals. Through this collaboration with Caterpillar, we will be able to continue to provide our industry leading quality of service while meaningfully reducing fuel consumption and carbon emission.”
Caterpillar and Jackson Offshore will work together on the hybrid energy solution through 2023 to enable implementation of the fuel-saving and emissions-reducing technology. Upon completion of the upgrade, the performance of the Thunder will be monitored closely by Caterpillar Marine and Jackson Offshore to further optimise energy use in DP, transit and port operations.
