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Ingeteam heads a project to slash emissions from coastal vessels in the Basque Country
30/01/2018

Ingeteam heads a project to slash emissions from coastal vessels in the Basque Country

Ingeteam is heading a project which will allow a Basque training ship to navigate in pure electric mode, with zero emissions, when entering and leaving ports and during operations in protected environments. This is one of the schemes forming part of the R&D project executed by a consortium of Basque companies and representing the first ship of these characteristics to be completely conceived, designed, developed, executed and operated in the Basque Country.

The project, which is named after the ship in which the technologies will be finally demonstrated, is based on research and development in electric, electronic and energy technologies in order to achieve considerable reductions in vessel consumption and emissions. Specifically, in order to demonstrate the project's potential, the ORTZE training ship is to be equipped with the industrial technology required to sail along the coast while causing the least possible impact on the ecosystems through which it navigates. As well as the possibility of navigating in electric mode with zero emissions, the project will also permit navigation in hybrid mode, slashing emissions by 25%. The hybrid mode, for use in areas that are further away from the coast, involves the generation of on-board energy by an internal combustion unit and a PV system, all supported by a large energy storage system.

European sea management-related policies are directed at ensuring that marine ecosystems remain healthy. The environmentally responsible, extremely energy efficient solutions resulting from this project can be applied to other vessels and applications.

The consortium is made up of the following companies: Ingeteam Power Technology, heading the project, Indar Electric (a member of the Ingeteam Group), LasaNaval, Skandiaverken- SKV, and Ormazabal. The Basque Maritime Forum is also involved in the project, as well as a number of Research Organizations pertaining to the Basque Network of Science and Technology, such as:  Azti, UPV/EHU (School of Engineering and the Marine Station of Plentzia), and the University of Mondragón. Finally, other participants in the project include the Blas de Lezo de Pasaia secondary education school for Sailing - Fishing (user and current operator of the ORTZE training vessel), and Tknika as the driver of projects and actions to promote Vocational Training in the Basque Country.

The ORTZE vessel aspires to be an international benchmark, by delivering more and better services in the areas of education and vocational training. Moreover, it will be used as an ocean research vessel for marine research and investigation into the ecosystems along our coast. The new ORTZE will allow marine engineers and future professionals in the shipping, marine and fishing sectors, to carry out practical work and training, exploring the new clean technologies that are gaining a strong foothold in the general transport and marine sectors.

The ORTZE project, supported by the three cornerstones of the Basque Country, namely Education, Research and Industry, will allow the companies in the consortium to grow in the emerging marine transport electrification market, contributing to technological maturity and the introduction to the market of the technologies and subsystems that are being researched and developed in this strategic initiative. This is one of the strategic projects selected in the Hazitek program call for proposals by the Basque Government and the Basque business development agency, SPRI.


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