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The Viking Lady [pictured] has already proved to be a groundbreaking vessel. The three-year-old LNG-fuelled offshore supply ship, which is owned by Eidesvik Offshore, was the very first merchant ship to use a fuel cell as part of its propulsion system.

The fuel cell, which generates an electric output of 330 kW, was installed in the autumn of 2009 and has successfully run for more than 18,500 hours. Based on this, the Viking Lady is already one of the world’s most environmentally-friendly ships.

Now another step is to be taken to reduce its emissions even further. Once the battery pack is in place, the ship will operate using a hybrid system similar to that which has been installed in hybrid cars for a number of years. However, the potential emission reductions are higher and the return on investment period is shorter for ships than it is for cars.

DNV is heading the research project, which is called FellowSHIP. Its partners are Eidesvik Offshore, the owner of the ship and Wärtsilä, power solutions provider for the marine market. In this, the next project phase, an energy storage capability is to be introduced to the energy system. This will allow the benefits of a so-called 'true hybrid energy system' to be explored.

The primary potential benefits of the hybrid energy system for a ship like the Viking Lady are a 20/30% reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions through smoother and more efficient operation of the engines and fuel cell. The reductions of other exhaust components are said to be even higher.