Maersk Drilling has announced today that it will launch a new low-emission hybrid oil rig.
The company said the Maersk Intrepid “upgraded” rig will be kitted out with batteries and a monitoring system that will switch off engines “when they are not needed”.
It said Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems will “capture NOx exhausts and use ammonia injections to convert the gas into harmless water and nitrogen”.
The upgrade to hybrid, low-emissions rig are being carried out in cooperation with the Maersk Intrepid’s current customer, Equinor.
Morten Kelstrup of Maersk Drilling said: “The Maersk Intrepid project is the result of asking a simple yet challenging question: What would be the most efficient technological approach to minimising emissions from a rig in the short term?
“The resulting ideas have been very positively received by Equinor and will contribute to Equinor’s long-term emission targets.
“It should be noted that the upgrades will not only produce a low-emission profile for the rig; they will also result in cost savings for our customer due to lower energy consumption, so this is business and low-emission targets working hand in hand.”
Maersk Drilling owns and operates a fleet of 23 offshore rigs specialising in harsh environment and deepwater drilling operations.
The firm successfully applied for project funding through the NOx Fund, a Norwegian industry fund dedicated to reducing NOx emissions.
Tommy Johnsen, general manager of the NOx Fund, added: “The NOx Fund has requested these types of emission reduction projects for a long time, and finally they are being realised.
“Here Maersk Drilling takes the lead by showing that cost-efficient measures to significantly reduce NOx can be combined with reduced CO2 emissions and improved fuel efficiency.
“Hopefully we will see more of these and similar solutions on board rigs going forward.”
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