The ship, chartered from specialist company Harvey Gulf International Marine and delivered for its deep water operations in the Gulf of Mexico, is the first of its kind in the region to run on both liquefied natural gas and diesel. Two more LNG-powered vessels are expected to follow.
“Shell is delighted to be the customer of this innovative vessel,” said John Hollowell, Executive Vice President, Deep Water, Shell Upstream Americas. “It is a pleasure to partner with Harvey Gulf on this pioneering project. Shell’s investment underlines our confidence in LNG becoming a bigger part of the global fuel mix.”
The ‘Harvey Energy’ is 302 foot long and operates on three dual-fuel Wärtsilä engines. It will run on 99% liquefied natural gas and will be able to operate for around seven days before refueling. It will load from Harvey Gulf’s new LNG bunkering facility at their terminal at Port Fourchon, which is Louisiana’s southernmost port, with more than 600 oil and gas drilling rigs and platforms located within a 40-mile radius. From there the ‘Harvey Energy’ will go to Shell’s platforms, such as the new Olympus production platform, bringing equipment and drilling fluids.
Harvey Gulf International Marine’s CEO and Chairman, Shane Guidry, noted, “Harvey Gulf is excited to share these historical maritime events with Shell. We understand the environmental regulatory issues facing our customers and this new build program’s focus has been to work closely with them to address and mitigate these issues.”
Source: Shell U.S.
