Volvo Penta provides power solution for retrofit electric CTV

Gothenburg-based Volvo Penta will provide the power solution for the world’s first retrofitted electric crew transfer vessel (E-CTV).

Volvo Penta will power an existing vessel in one of just 10 projects awarded UK government funding as part of an industry-led transition to net zero.

For the project, the company will supply a fully electric propulsion system in an existing vessel, replacing the older combustion engines with a 100% emissions-free solution.

The vessel is being developed for sea transport and crew transit service operator Tidal Transit. The cost of the retrofit is estimated at £8m ($10m) with £6.3m ($7.9m) coming from the government’s Zero Emissions Vessel and Infrastructure (ZEVI) program.

Retrofitting will be done on Ginny Louise, a 20-metre, diesel-powered Mercurio vessel. The old propulsion system will be replaced with fully electric motors and over 2 MW of onboard battery capacity. The completed vessel will be renamed e-Ginny.

The Ginny Louise was the first vessel ordered from Mercurio Plastics of Cartagena by Tidal Transit when it formed back in early 2011. It was delivered that same year.

A new charging infrastructure will be installed, both through an onshore charging station and an offshore wind turbine-based charger. Once complete, the E-CTV will support crew transfers at an undisclosed offshore UK wind farm for three years.