Caterpillar Marine, Jackson Offshore to Work on Hybrid Solutions

Caterpillar Marine, a world leader in power system research, design, manufacturing, distribution, and product support for marine propulsion and auxiliary applications, has agreed with Louisiana-based Jackson Offshore Operators LLC to pilot an integrated hybrid energy solution aimed at reduction of fuel consumption and diesel exhaust emissions. Jackson Offshore Operators is a trusted full-service offshore transportation company providing marine services in the Gulf of Mexico. The companies will demonstrate the technology on Jackson Offshore's M/V Thunder Platform Supply Vessel, jointly working towards the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions while at the same time optimizing the systems' performance. 

The diesel-electric M/V Thunder will be upgraded with a hybrid energy solution to complement its power plant of 2 x Cat® 3516 and 2 x C32 generator sets. The hybrid energy solution will be incorporated into M/V Thunder with the expertise of Cat dealer, Louisiana Cat, who will oversee the installation and commissioning of the new equipment.

According to Brad Johnson, vice president of Caterpillar Marine, the vessel upgrade represents a unique chance to simultaneously collaborate with Caterpillar customers on a common environmental stewardship effort. "This exciting opportunity comes at the intersection of two key industries served by Caterpillar: marine transportation and oil & gas. We are very pleased to collaborate with Jackson Offshore on such innovative solutions to reduce the environmental impact," said Johnson. 

“Jackson Offshore is very excited to be partnering with Caterpillar in the development of an energy storage solution (ESS) for our offshore vessels (OSV). The primary objective of this project is to generate long-term value to our clients as they seek to meet their carbon emissions reduction initiatives. ?Jackson Offshore is very serious about reducing?carbon?emissions and as such we are committed to being a key part of our client’s effort in emission reduction goals. Through this collaboration with Caterpillar, we will be able to continue to provide our industry leading quality of service while meaningfully reducing fuel consumption and carbon emission,” commented Lee Jackson, president and chief executive officer, Jackson Offshore Operators LLC.?

Caterpillar and Jackson Offshore will work together on the hybrid energy solution through 2023 to enable implementation of the fuel-saving and emissions-reducing technology.  Upon completion of the upgrade, the performance of the M/V Thunder will be monitored closely by Caterpillar Marine and Jackson Offshore to further optimize energy use in dynamic positioning, transit and port operations.