3,000 shore power connections per year with flexible energy supply systems

• What was needed: Flexible ready-to-install system for the supply of offshore supply vessels (OSV) with on-shore current
• Requirements: Robust, low-maintenance system that can withstand the rough environmental conditions of an offshore base
• Product: readychain® harnessed energy chain - as e-spool with twisterchain technology
• Industry: Shore power
• Success for the customer: Reliable service with more than 3,000 shore-power connections per year

About on-shore power supply: Ships in harbours have to be supplied with on-shore current in order to switch off the auxiliary diesel generators on board and thus reduce the impact on the environment. For this purpose, the vessels must be connected to a cable supply system via a standardised plug connection. 

The challenge

The Mongstad offshore base is one of the most frequently used bases in Norway.
The ships change twice a day in order to be loaded with equipment for the offshore platforms in the North Sea. The base operates all round the clock.
A very reliable and robust system that functions in rough environments and does not need much maintenance is therefore required. The other important issue is flexibility. Due to the wind conditions, a ship moors at different positions, sometimes on starboard, sometimes on the port side, in order to turn the prow into the wind and provide protection against the wind for the crew during loading and unloading.
 

Solution

At the highly frequented offshore base Mongstad in Norway, a reliable, robust and flexible system for supplying shore power  from igus is used.
A pre-assembled e-spool is integrated in a 10-foot container that can be handled by forklifts to position the system along the various berths.
The container also protects the system from the harsh environment and the effects of port operations. The readychain system is a slipring-free solution and all cables are hard-wired so that the maintenance effort is reduced.