ULSTEIN THOR: Awarded Concept Vessel Design of the Year
On 20 June 2023, at the Electric & Hybrid Marine Expo Europe in Amsterdam, ULSTEIN THOR was announced as the winner of the Concept Vessel Design of the Year Award.
The ULSTEIN THOR concept is voted for by a judging panel of leading marine industry journalists and consultants. The Electric & Hybrid Marine Awards recognizes the latest advances and developments across the industry.
INNOVATE, ENGAGE AND ADVANCE
Ulstein's chief designer Øyvind Gjerde Kamsvåg was grateful for the acknowledgement to Ulstein when receiving the award, and he stated,
"Our values are to innovate, engage and advance. This award proves that we live up to those values and shows the importance of thinking about long-term solutions. We can help reduce the environmental impact on today's marine operations, but we must also figure out a more permanent and effective solution. ULSTEIN THOR is our solution to redefining the whole approach for zero-emission operations. I would like to thank the judging panel and the incredible talent from the Ulstein team."
The THOR concept is considered “a key enabler”, and this is one of the aspects that has supercharged interest in what was almost immediately recognised as so much more than a standalone vessel concept.
At the time of its launch, Ulstein presented the idea as a way to charge an all-electric cruise ship concept, demonstrating its commercial viability. However, its potential was seen to stretch far beyond that.
ZERO EMISSIONS, RESEARCH, REPLENISHMENT, RESCUE, EMERGENCY POWER SUPPLY...
“There’s a multitude of applications and operational capabilities where the superpower can be utilised. Beyond the zero emissions and remote replenishment, research and rescue functionality, the vessel’s reactor could be used as an emergency power supply for regions hit by natural disasters, epidemics, or conflicts, says Kamsvåg.
“Similarly, it could be utilised as a part of society’s renewable energy mix and compensate for fluctuating power supplies – e.g., from offshore wind parks – by supporting grid networks. The huge power capacity available could also be utilised for producing alternative fuels or synthetic fuels through a CO2 refinery or for delivering shore power at ports.
“And all that functionality is before we even get on to the different vessel types where Thor can either be used to recharge all-electric ships or integrated MSRs can be housed within vessels as the primary power source.
"That’s pretty much all of deep sea shipping.
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