The Althaia barge, a new floating cold ironing unit powered by compressed biomethane, was recently launched at Limassol port, as part of the BioCNG-to-CI project.
This initiative, which took place on August 13, aims to provide green electricity to ships at berth or at anchor, in turn supporting the decarbonisation of shipping and promoting the circular economy.
According to an announcement released on Friday by the Cyprus Maritime and Marine Institute (CMMI), the launch took place on August 13.
“The aim of the BioCNG-to-CI project is to provide green electricity to ships at berth or at anchorage,” the institute said.
“Upon completion, a floating power plant powered by biomethane will have been developed, contributing to the decarbonisation of shipping and the promotion of the circular economy,” it added.
This initiative, which is a key component of the BioCNG-to-CI project, aims to provide green electricity to ships at berth or anchorage, significantly contributing to the decarbonisation of shipping and the advancement of the circular economy.
The announcement explained that this project “brings together the expertise of the startup company InoMob, acting as coordinator, alongside the CMMI, the Petronav Shipmanagement Shipping Company, and the Armenis Biogas Plant”.
Their collective aim is to “develop an integrated solution that will enable the electrification of ships using renewable energy, underscoring a commitment to environmental sustainability”.
The partners involved met on June 20 at Petronav Shipmanagement’s headquarters in Limassol, where they deliberated on the project’s progress and planned forthcoming activities.
The main milestones in the progress of the project are “the operation of the IoT platform and the predictive maintenance algorithm developed by the Cyprus Institute for the Sea and Shipping and tested on the biogas generator before its installation on the barge”.
“The launching of the Althaia barge was successfully completed on August 13 at the port of Limassol and it will operate as a floating cold ironing unit, using compressed biogas and providing green electricity to moored vessels,” the announcement added.
The next steps of the project are “the installation of the biogas generator on the barge, conducting vibration and oscillation analyses, and performing onboard measurements using the IoT system developed for monitoring the performance of the biogas generator”.
What is more, the announcement pointed out that “the power supply of the M/T Alexandria or M/T Astraia, depending on availability, will be arranged for the demonstration of the system”, while also noting that these vessels are managed by Petronav Shipmanagement.
Finally, the announcement concluded by saying that “seminars will be organised to present the research results, as well as the synergies with other related funded projects (ZEST, Green Marine, BlueBARGE)”.
