Wärtsilä to Make CBO Flamengo Brazil's First PSV Fitted with a Battery Pack

Brazilian offshore support vessel operator CBO has tasked maritime equipment manufacturer Wärtsilä, based in Finland, to convert one of its offshore vessels to operate with hybrid propulsion. 

The vessel selected for the upgrade is the 2012-built platform supply vessel CBO Flamengo. According to Wärtsilä, the CBO Flamengo will be the first vessel in Brazil and Latin America to be fitted with a battery pack for hybrid propulsion. This is expected to improve the vessel’s energy consumption and reduce its carbon footprint.

The Wärtsilä Hybrid Solution to be installed on the ‘CBO Flamengo’ complies with the DNV-GL’s ‘Battery Power’ class notation, allowing the ship’s engines to run more efficiently by operating safely with fewer engines at a higher load, the Finnish firm said.

"The hybrid system will provide redundancy power and reduce intermittent load increases (peak shaving), thereby saving fuel and reducing exhaust emission levels. Furthermore, because the engines will operate for fewer running hours, maintenance requirements and costs will be reduced," Wärtsilä explained.

The scope includes the power conversion, project services, the hybrid solution delivery, and commissioning. Delivery of the Wärtsilä equipment is scheduled for April 2021. Installation and integration of the equipment will be handled by CBO.