Houlder is supporting North Star Shipping (NSS) with a comprehensive study to support the development of a greenhouse gas reduction strategy across its fleet of over 40 vessels. An expert team of Houlder consultants will first establish the greenhouse gas emissions and carbon intensity of the current fleet and its operations before identifying the most suitable technologies and operational measures to reduce carbon emissions. This includes defining the cost, benefits and timeline for implementation of these technologies.

The first phase of work will involve a practical workshop to kick start the analysis process. The specific operational challenges faced by the NSS fleet of Emergency Response and Rescue Vehicles, Platform Supply Vessels, as well as the future Service Operation Vessels, will all be explored. The team will establish the fuel consumption of each vessel in different operational modes, as well as total annual consumption, to help target the most effective technical and operational improvement measures. The impact of anticipated changes to the construct of the fleet will also be considered over the next 10 years.

Phase two of the process assesses all possible energy efficiency and low emission propulsion technologies that could be applied to the existing fleet. The viability of each solution is considered in line with the vessel’s operational requirements, available space, displacement, power demand and endurance requirements. The analysis will also evaluate the associated implementation costs alongside the resulting fuel efficiency and emissions savings.

Work will conclude by forecasting the fleet greenhouse gas emissions through the next 10 years for different investment scenarios, helping North Star to prioritise and plan for the implementation of the different improvement measures across the fleet with consideration given to timescales for engineering, procurement and installation of technologies as well as vessel operational demands and dry-docking schedules.

North Star Chief Executive, Matthew Gordon, said: “The urgent need for the sector to upscale to zero-emission vessels and clean fuels is gathering pace and while we are well informed on the numerous innovations which would provide dynamic options, it is vital that we are fully informed with conclusive intelligence to support our investment decisions. Houlder’s meticulous approach will help us to determine the most effective solutions to adopt, based on our operations, budgets and timeline. Over the next 10 years, we want to adapt our vessels with a trajectory of improvements that will set the future benchmark across the North Sea for green-powered high-performing, reliable, offshore infrastructure services fleet support.”

There are many proven energy efficiency adaptations and technologies that can be deployed on vessels in operation today to support the transition to net-zero carbon emissions. It’s important to consider each against each vessel’s design and operations to select solutions that deliver the greatest emissions reductions for a fleet. Houlder continues to work at the forefront of technology in this field and it is great to be able to bring this knowledge and experience to support our commercial clients.

Houlder has extensive experience supporting clients at all stages of their asset’s lifecycle, from newbuild design to in-service technical support and equipment retrofits. Read more about how we are supporting clients through the energy transition here.