Maersk Drilling Connecting Rigs To Green Shore-To-Ship Power

Drilling contractor Maersk Drilling and the Port of Esbjerg have enabled the supply of green power for offshore drilling rigs to reduce carbon emissions as part of the focus on sustainability and green energy transition.

The port stated that Maersk Drilling can now connect up to three rigs to green shore-to-ship power and as a result will be able to shun fossil-fuel power altogether when docked.

This reduction of emissions is in line with both Port Esbjerg’s and Maersk Drilling’s focus on sustainability and green energy transition and is the primary reason for this joint investment in the plant. Port of Esbjerg is currently working to reduce carbon emissions by 70 percent by 2030.

The offshore driller is also working to reduce emissions in its operations, but its target is a 50 percent reduction by 2030.

As a result of this collaboration between Maersk Drilling and Port Esbjerg, the Maersk Highlander jack-up rig is currently connected to shore-to-ship power at the port. The shore-to-ship power plant has a capacity of 1,300 Amp/1.5 MW and can supply green power to up to three drilling rigs, which requires up to 10,000 kWh every 24 hours. While the potential reduction in carbon emissions is substantial, the actual figures depend on how long the rigs are docked.

“We’re delighted to have the opportunity to use green shore-to-ship power while our rigs are docked at Esbjerg to be readied for new assignments. Maersk Drilling is a first mover in the industry with the ambition to halve its carbon emissions intensity by 2030, and the use of shore-to-ship power contributes to this objective,” Claus Bachmann, Head of the North Sea Division at Maersk Drilling, stated.

Many other ships at the port have already had the option to connect to shore-to-ship power for several years. The difference is that the Port of Esbjerg now can supply shore-to-ship power to drilling rigs, which require huge quantities of power.

“More and more customers ask for shore-to-ship power, so for us, it’s not just a matter of participating actively in the green transition, on which we’re already heavily focused. It’s also a commercial necessity, which is why we’re in the process of installing more shore-to-ship power plants at the port, so even more of our customers have the opportunity to use green power,” Port Esbjerg CEO, Dennis Jul Pedersen, added.

The port claims the potential reduction of carbon emissions from using shore-to-ship power rather than diesel generators is up to 500 tons of CO2 per month per rig with SOx and NOx emissions also reduced.

To contact the author, email bojan.lepic@rigzone.com