The Port of Gothenburg and Swedish tanker operator Terntank
expect to make maritime and environmental history on Friday, February 11, when
the company’s new product tanker, Tern Island, makes its maiden arrival at the
port. It is expected to become the first tanker to perform zero-emissions port
operations and demonstrate the combination of battery and shore power that is
expected to become increasingly common in the future.
The newly built tanker is the first vessel of its kind
equipped with a battery power system. The batteries will provide the power for
maneuvering into the port and docking. Once at the dock, it will also become
the first tanker to use shore power. The shore power connection was developed
together with the Port of Gothenburg, which is said to be the first port in the
world that can connect tankers to electricity.
“Today we achieved a milestone as Tern Island becomes the
world's first shore-connected tanker, successfully enabling port operations
with zero emissions,” said Claes Möller, Chief Executive Officer of Tärntank
Ship Management.
Designed by Terntank and Kongsberg Maritime CM AS, the
15,000 dwt tanker was delivered on December 15, 2021, at China Merchants
Jinling Shipyard, Yangzhou, Dingheng Co. The design incorporates numerous
features to make it among the most environmentally sensitive and lowest
emission vessels in operation.
Enabling the zero-emission port operations, the vessel is
equipped with an electric power supply hybrid system, including a battery pack,
on-shore power supply, and a DC-Link system that is expected to be able to
reduce its auxiliary energy consumption during port operations by 99 percent.
The hybrid power system also enables peak shaving to further reduce emissions.
The battery packs provide an energy reserve for power generation, limiting
unnecessary parallel running of generators and providing a blackout prevention
function that can keep the electrical network alive in an emergency
The main engine, boiler, and auxiliary engine are also
designed to reduce the environmental impact and perform safe operations running
on biofuels. The vessel is outfitted with a dual-fuel powered engine that is
100 percent biofuel compatible with the company expecting to run Tern Island on
liquefied biogas or liquefied natural gas. By combining an optimized hull and
rudder design with the dual-fuel capability, when utilizing 30 percent biogas,
Tern Island is expected to reduce emission by 70 percent of CO2 and almost
eliminate the emissions of sulfur oxide (99 percent), particle emission (99
percent) and nitrogen oxide (97 percent) in comparison to a similar-sized
conventional vessel.
With a length of 482 feet, the product tanker has a cargo
capacity of 16,500 cubic meters in 14 epoxy-coated tanks. It will be
commercially operated by the Finnish North European Oil Trade (NEOT) in the
Baltic Sea area and will be included in a pool along with other vessels from
Terntank.
The Tern Island will be joined by a sister ship also to be
outfitted with the battery power system.
Terntank also has options to build two further ships as part of the 2019
construction contract.