Welcome aboard!

Welcome aboard the world’s first fuel cell ship – a beacon for a cleaner future for shipping

The Viking Lady is a state-of-the-art offshore supply vessel, and the first commercial ship ever with a fuel cell specially adapted for marine use. The fuel cell enables the Viking Lady to generate energy more efficiently and reduces emissions to air.

Compared with a traditional ship, the Viking Lady’s advanced technology enables her to reduce harmful emissions by the amount emitted by 22,000 cars in one year. In addition it allows her to operate very quietly. These are significant advantages for a ship with frequent stops in busy harbours

located in populated areas. For the Viking Lady’s crew, this also means a healthier work environment.

With her innovative fuel cell technology and extremely advanced systems integration, the Viking Lady points to a cleaner and greener future for shipping. However, new technology always comes with a price premium. It is up to policy makers to provide framework conditions that lead to new environmental technology becoming commercially viable.

THE VIKING LADY

The Viking Lady is a result of «FellowSHIP», a Norwegian-Finnish-German joint industry R&D project with the objective of answering a growing call for sustainable energy generation for marine and offshore use.

The project aims to develop and demon-strate hybrid fuel cell power packs, the first of which will provide an electric power output of 320kW. Fuel cells can operate on a variety of fuels, including (as in the Viking Lady) LNG (liquefied natural gas), biofuels, methanol, hydrogen and landfill gas.

The project aims to develop auxiliary power packs with a significant potential to reduce

co2 emissions (up to 50%) and improve energy efficiency (up to 30%) when com-pared to conventional power generators. Emissions of harmful substances, such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulphur oxides (SOx), will be completely eradicated.

MaIN PROjECT INNOVaTIONS: Fuel cell technology that is compatible

with marine requirements. Integration of sensitive fuel cell

technology in a rough ship machinery environment.

Class approval of complete fuel cell system installation on board an oceangoing ship.

THE TEcHNoLoGY

DNV (Det Norske Veritas) is an independent foundation with the purpose of safeguarding life, property and the environment. DNV provides classification and certification services for a global market.

Eidesvik offshore is a Norwegian shipowner which operates a modern fleet of highly specialised offshore supply vessels. Eidesvik has been a main force behind the development of environmentally friendly LNG-operated commercial ships.

Wärtsilä is a global leader in complete lifecycle power solutions for the marine and energy markets. Wärtsilä has both designed the Viking Lady and developed the ship’s power electronics.

The partners would like to thank the Research Council of Norway, Innovation Norway, the Eureka network incl. the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, and the environmental group Bellona Foundation for their contributions.

SPECIFICaTIONSDelivery: 2009Length: 92.2mWidth: 21mDepth: 7.6mGross tonnage: 6100tDead weight: 5900tBerths: 25 personsIMO no.: 9409675Class: DNV 1a1, Supply Vessel

The Viking Lady is owned by Eidesvik Offshore and normally services offshore installations in the often harsh waters of the North Sea.

THE PARTNERS THE SHIP

Eighty-five per cent of global trade travels by sea. CO2 emissions from shipping exceed 1,000 million tonnes per year. Yet, to date, climate emissions as a result of shipping remain unregulated.

The application of climate friendly technology can make a difference to the global climate. Some of these technologies are already available – but need regulatory encouragement to become commercially viable.

International initiatives to regulate emissions from shipping are now under way. a global quota trading system can provide market-based incentives to make emissions reductions commercially attractive.

Sustainable shipping is not just about CO2. Ships that operate on traditional marine oils cause more local problems, like acid rain and smog. By optimising fuel use or shifting to less polluting fuels, ships can reduce or altogether eradicate their harmful emissions.

SHIPPING AND THE cLIMATE