Bibby Marine appoints Longitude Engineering to design new eSOV

Thursday, January 18 2024

General – eSOV

Bibby Marine announced the appointment of Longitude Engineering for the design of the world’s first zero-emission electric Service Operation Vessel (eSOV).

The eSOV project was recently awarded £20 million under the Zero Emission Vessel and Infrastructure (ZEVI) competition and this latest appointment marks a significant step in the work of the Bibby Marine-led consortium to drive forward its goal of bringing a clean vessel to the water.

Having developed the initial design, Longitude Engineering is now developing the design to Approval in Principle level for verification of the energy storage system and methanol system philosophy. This phase also includes design development and support for shipyard pricing.

Nigel Quinn, Bibby Marine CEO said: “As we announced back in September, we are building the world’s first eSOV. This project is the natural progression of our decarbonisation journey, as we aim to operate a low or no carbon emission vessel by 2026. Designed in the UK, the vessel will be a game-changer for our industry, and we are delighted to work alongside some of the market leading contractors and suppliers on this project, such as Longitude.  Longitude’s expertise in specialised vessel design is vital to us realising our net zero goals and getting our eSOV in the water.”

The eSOV is based on Longitude Engineering’s OSD-IMT9605 design. The vessel will be powered by a hybrid 20MWh battery system and dual-fuel methanol generators for back-up and offshore charging capability.

The vessel will provide ultra-low emission support to offshore construction, operations and maintenance activities in the offshore renewables sector in the UK and elsewhere in Europe, in particular supporting Europe’s growing offshore wind market.