The fully battery-operated green offshore supply vessel (OSV) will cost approximately US$25 million (RM111.5 million), and will be completed in 18 to 24 months.
The project, spearheaded by Singapore’s Evolution Concepts Pte Ltd, is expected to commence in 2023.
Represented by Kelvin Chong its executive director, Evolution Concepts inked an agreement with three local shipbuilding and ship repair industry players – Grade One Marine Shipyard Sdn Bhd, Muhibbah Marine Engineering Sdn Bhd and Shin Yang Shipyard Sdn Bhd today to build the OSV.
According to the terms of the memorandum of understanding signed between the four organisations, the three ship-builders will provide shipyard facilities and end-to-end vessel construction while the Singaporean partner will be involved in the design of the vessel, incorporating green technology.
“We are moving towards environmental, social and governance (ESG) so it is important to make the offshore and marine industry greener and more sustainable,” said Amim vice-president Soo Jee Main.
“Amim is dedicated to support initiatives that will help advance Malaysia’s growth to one that is of a leading shipbuilding nation, while simultaneously mobilising efforts towards the government’s zero-carbon emission by 2050,” said Soo.
Chong said the OSV will feature the Blue G Battery System which would minimise the usage of the generator sets. He added that technology advancements will pave the way for more sustainable solutions for the main generators to complement the battery system.
“The Blue G Battery System will be optimised based on the operational requirement, and can be charged by the generator sets on board as well as any sustainable solutions from the shore,” he said.
He also revealed that this technology is fuel-saving and will be able to reduce carbon footprint, vessel operating expenses (OPEX) and life cycle cost.
Meanwhile, Norazman Ayob, deputy secretary-general of the international trade and industry ministry (MITI) said in his speech that while maritime trade volume declined by 3.8% in 2020, it has recovered by 3.2% last year.
He added that the shipping industry is responsible for around 914 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions annually or around 2.5% of the world’s total CO2 emissions which happens to be growing at 4.9% year-on-year.
“Therefore, addressing climate change is an urgent imperative. We know that green vessels can be a potential game changer in the war against carbon emissions,” added Norazman.
Furthermore, he said the integration of ESG considerations in Malaysia’s shipbuilding and ship repair industry will help to increase opportunities for investments and overall growth for the nation.
While most vessels have a lifespan of up to 15 years, the “green” OSV is said to be able to last up to 20 years instead while its battery has a lifespan of up to 25 years.