Chevron charters its first hybrid barge in Singapore

Chevron has chartered its first hybrid electric bunker vessel from V-Bunkers, with the Marine Dynamo carrying bunker fuel in the region and designed to consume about 20pc less fuel than conventional tankers.

The hybrid electric barge operates on a fuel engine and an electric power system that supplements the vessel with electricity during periods of high fuel consumption. The barge also provides an opportunity to assess wider adoption of hybrid vessels, said Chevron's Asia Pacific commercial marine manager Jennifer Chao.

"We're looking for opportunities like this to understand new technologies, test capabilities and collect data to determine if there [can be] broader applicability for our global operations," said Chao.

Current technology will not allow barges to run completely on electricity, and among other challenges, the batteries would take up too much space, said Chevron's Asia Pacific term charterer Varun Kohli. The size of a battery pack is almost as large a 20-foot shipping container.

"As technology comes along and batteries become smaller and more efficient, hopefully in the not too distant future, we'll have bunker tankers able to operate fully on batteries," Kohli said.

The maritime sector continues to push to decarbonise shipping, after the International Maritime Organisation last year set a 2050 net zero target for its greenhouse gas emissions.

By Cassia Teo