What is Karadeniz Powership?

A Powership is an exceptional marine vessel – a floating powerhouse resource with an electricity-generating station installed on it. Power ships have their own generators that run on oil or gas. They usually anchor close to land and are connected with transmission lines to the regional or local electricity grid. Power ships are leased by a host country for a specific period.

In 2009, the Karadeniz Powership – an auxiliary branch of the Turkey-based Karadeniz Energy Group- designed and developed its own “Power ships” to accomplish the mission of establishing the world’s first Powership fleet.

To begin with, four bulk-carrier converted Powerships, namely Doğan Bey, Rauf Bey, Kaya Bey, and Ali Can Bey, all set sail as part of a global expansion strategy worth more than billions of dollars. In 2010 – 2011, these ships commenced their duties in Iraq and Pakistan to meet the population meet their power needs. A fifth ship, Irem Sultan, joined the pack in 2012, followed by Fatmagül Sultan in 2013.

Recently, Turkish Karpowership’s seventh floating power ship will aid Cuba in tackling its energy crisis. The Cuban oil-fired power plants are old and deficient; only five per cent of Cuba’s power comes from alternative energy resources. Cuba has employed seven floating power plants, which will generate around 400 megawatts. The government plans to buy small diesel-powered land-based generators to support the grid and service its Soviet-era fuel-fired power plants.

The energy woes are a part of the deeper financial crisis caused due to external factors like the US Sanctions, Covid-19 and poor economic management. The modern power ships can offer quick relief and slow the growing energy crisis.

What are the benefits of Power Ships?

The proposed, designed and developed Karadeniz Powerships are expected to fulfil the urgent electricity requirements across the countries of the Middle East, Asia and Africa. The current fleet can produce over 750 MW of electricity. With additional ships scheduled for completion soon, the total fleet capacity is anticipated to surpass 3,000 MW. The operation area of these power ships will be mapped across 15 countries, mainly in the Middle East, South Asia, and North Africa.

Power ships are no ordinary vessels but are built using special technology. They can be operated on liquid fuels (HFO/RFO) and natural gas, with an option of dual fuel. Hence, they offer the advantage of fuel flexibility. Even at various high voltage levels, these Powerships can provide uninterrupted electricity as per the requirements of the involved countries.

Also, see: How is power generated and supplied on ships?

 What is cold ironing?

Karadeniz Powerships are delivered to the client or partner countries as a fully operational floating power plant, following a rental contract or a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). Their capacities vary from 45-500 MW, and the delivery time takes around 60-180 days to supply medium-term solutions through contracts of 2-5 years. Karadeniz Energy Group will fully charge for their power ships’ operation and maintenance during the contract period.

After shutting down numerous nuclear reactors with forged or uncertified parts worldwide, the Karadeniz power ships can become the most eligible successor to tackle power shortages.

Related reading: The world’s first floating nuclear power plant 

The Powership fleet

• Karadeniz Powership Doğan Bey

The first Powership of the Powership fleet, the Karadeniz Powership Doğan Bey, was built in Istanbul, Turkey. It has been providing electricity in the South-East region of Iraq since May 1st, 2010, with a capacity of 144 MW.

• Karadeniz Powership Rauf Bey

Constructed in Turkey’s Tuzla Shipyard, the 2nd member of the fleet and also the 2nd largest Powership of the world with a capacity of 200 MW, the Karadeniz Powership Rauf Bey has been supplying electricity to fight power outages in the Gulf region since May 2010.

• Karadeniz Powership Kaya Bey

Turkey-built third Karadeniz Powership of the fleet and the world’s largest with a massive capacity of 220 MW, Kaya Bey, was expected to alleviate the energy crisis in Karachi, Pakistan, coordinating with the Korangi Thermal Power Station from early 2011. But it has raised much controversy since it failed to produce the contractual amount of power and electricity.

• Karadeniz Powership Ali Can Bey

The fourth member of the Karadeniz Powership fleet, Ali Can Bey, was the first to be constructed in Singapore. It began supplying electricity in 2011, as a subordinate of the Karadeniz Powership Kaya Bey, in Karachi, with a capacity of 110 MW, totalling the amount at 330 MW.

• Karadeniz Powership Irem Sultan

The fifth member of the Powership fleet, the Karadeniz Powership Irem Sultan, was built in Turkey and has been supplying electricity since 2012, with a capacity of 110 MW. It is also the first Powership to have a dual fuel option that allows it to operate on Natural Gas and HFO (Heavy Fuel Oil).

• Karadeniz Powership Fatmagül Sultan

Another Turkey-built Powership, with a dimension of 142 m x 42 m, Fatmagül Sultan operates both on HFO and Natural Gas, powered by nine MAN 18 V 51/60 DF medium speed engines and a steam turbine and is expected to produce 205 MW of electricity. The power ship is currently moored in a Lebanese port, facing towards the Zouk Power Plant.

• Karadeniz Powership Enis Bey

The Karadeniz Powership project has one tanker support ship, Enis Bey, in its fleet. With a storage capacity of 7,000 tons, it provides all the fuel supply to the Karadeniz Powerships operating under the Powership project.

• Karadeniz Powership Ayşegül Sultan

Built on the same technology as Fatmagül Sultan, the Karadeniz Powership Ayşegül Sultan is 135 m long and 42 m wide and boasts a capacity of 175 MW.

• Karadeniz Powership Zeynep Sultan

The SHARK class Karadeniz Powership Zeynep Sultan is slightly shorter than the former two power ships in dimensions. It has dual fuel technology of HFO and Natural Gas, powered by six MAN 18 V 51/60 DF medium speed engines with a steam turbine, planned to generate 115 MW of electricity.

• Karadeniz Powership Nuray Sultan

Karadeniz Powership Nuray Sultan is equal to Zeynep Sultan technology and capacity-wise. The DOLPHIN class Powership has a dimension of 100 m x 31 m and runs on dual fuel.

• Karadeniz Powership Orhan Bey

Another Karadeniz Powership, Orhan Bey, was completed in 2013, producing 175 MW. The 135 m long and 42 m wide ORCA Class power ship has dual fuel technology, nine medium speed engines, MAN 18 V 51/60 DF, and a steam turbine.

Power of Friendship

The project with the Power ships fleet was codenamed ‘Power of Friendship’ to be directed beneficially by the Karadeniz Energy Group as a friendly offering for the Middle East, Asian, and African countries suffering from electricity deficiency.

An estimated count of six billion kilowatt hours (and more) of electric power has been recorded by the famous joint project funded by the Turkey-based Karadeniz Energy Group and the Ministry of Electricity of Iraq. The ‘Power of Friendship’ project has been a huge success in the Republic of Iraq, and the active power plant of Silopi, in Southeast Turkey, played a significant role in it.

The Powerships – Doğan Bey, Rauf Bey and Irem Sultan are active participants of the company’s Powership fleet. They cooperate in providing around four million citizens of Iraq with a rich and continuous supply of electric power and energy. Needless to state, the ‘Power of Friendship’ project has traversed new frontiers and touched new heights in promoting peace and contentment by fulfilling the fundamental requirements of the people in Iraq.

Very few projects such as this have acquired such appreciation and popularity internationally. The ‘Power of Friendship’ has maintained strict standards of avoiding environmental pollution, promoted dual fuel technology and made the company immensely proud of its work culture.

Power ships Iraq

Karadeniz Powership Doğan Bey is considered to be one of the first power ships of the company’s Powership fleet. Since May 2010, the Karadeniz Powership Doğan Bey has been producing around 144 MW of electric capacity for the Basra region in the Republic of Iraq.

According to records, the Karadeniz Powership Rauf Bey had been included in this project within three months of its commencement. The Karadeniz Powership Rauf Bey is declared as the second Powership of the fleet. The Karadeniz Powership Rauf Bey has helped the project generate an additional count of 200 MW.

The third power ship, the Karadeniz Powership Irem Sultan, joined the Basra project towards the end of 2011 with a generous contribution of 110 MW worth of electricity production. The active collaboration of the three Power Ships has led to an incredible total of 450 MW and even more. The installed electric capacity in the Basra region is also connected to three locations with the help of substations that run on high voltage.

Even unfavourable and rough weather, like sudden sandstorms and sweltering heat, could not disrupt the continuous generation of electric power and has functioned as a base load production. This has been significant to the Basra region and displayed commendable work ethics. It has also aided the national electricity grid with its uninterrupted electric power donations.

This project is of enormous importance to the company’s reputation as Basra serves as the gateway of Iraq and connects it with the world. Thus, energising Basra and providing it with electricity has helped the Iraqi government attain national growth.

Power ships Pakistan

Two ships from the Powership fleet, namely the Kaya Bey and the Ali Can Bey, were employed to generate a considerable amount of electric energy to provide for the five million Pakistani citizens every single year.

The Karadeniz Powership Kaya Bey is declared the biggest Powership in the world and is endowed with excellent machinery and energy sustenance. In collaboration with the Karadeniz Powership Ali Can Bey, electricity production was expected to rise to around 330 MW. It was much more energy generated by any power plant based on land.

These two Karadeniz Powerships acting in Pakistan are considered the most significant investment by Turkey, and they display fine examples of top-notch engineering. The Karadeniz Powerships in Pakistan were positioned almost 300 meters from the main shore and placed adjacent to each other.

Thus, they were removed entirely from the land and acted as one mighty, independent power island. The Powerships were connected to the land using only high-voltage lines for transmission, and they had the required fuel delivered to them by a few special tankers.

However, the early anticipation by the Karadeniz Energy Group and the Pakistan Federal Ministry for Water and Power has grown into a violation of the contract as the two Power Ships have arguably failed to meet the target capacity of electricity production since their operational commencement in 2011.

The breach of terms has led to the end of the contract and the seizure of Kaya Bey and Ali Can Bey. If a settlement deal does not work out with the National Accountability Bureau, the Karadeniz Group would be suing Pakistan at a US arbitration court to compensate for their loss and the release of the two Powerships, which now reside in the government’s custody.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do the power ships work?

Power ships are designed and constructed using the latest dual-fuel engine technology. They operate in a combined cycle manner to maximise their efficiency. Fuel flexibility through natural gas, LNG or low-sulphur HFO allows the lowest cost of delivered power without capital outlays.

2. What is Karpowership South Africa?

Karpowership South Africa and the Karpowership Group own and operate the world’s largest floating power plant fleet, comprising 25 Powerships across 15 locations throughout Africa and Asia.

3. What are some advantages of power ships?

Power ships are no ordinary vessels but are built using special technology. They can be operated both on liquid fuels (HFO/RFO) and natural gas, with an option of dual fuel. Hence, they offer the advantage of fuel flexibility. Even at various high voltage levels, these Powerships can provide uninterrupted electricity as per the requirements of the involved countries.

4. What was the first power ship of the fleet, and when was it built?

The first Powership of the Powership fleet, the Karadeniz Powership Doğan Bey, was built in Istanbul, Turkey. It has been providing electricity in the South-East region of Iraq since May 1st, 2010, with a capacity of 144 MW.

5. What is the world’s biggest power ship?

The world’s largest power ship is Kaya Bey, with a massive capacity of 220 MW. It was expected to alleviate the energy crisis in Karachi, Pakistan, coordinating with the Korangi Thermal Power Station since early 2011.

References: karadenizenergy, karadenizholding

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