Staff engineer Ola Ruch at Statoil's research centre in Trondheim has won a European prize for his work on recovering volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
The Euromot Engine-in-Society Award 2000: Innovative Technologies for Social Advancement was shared with Peter Sunn Pedersen at Denmark's MAN B&W Diesel engine plant.
Statoil and MAN have jointly developed a prototype engine which can run on VOCs recovered during tanker loading to serve as fuel.
The jury for Euromot, an association of European engine manufacturers, emphasised that this technology represents an environment-friendly solution.
It also pointed to a successful test carried out by Statoil and MAN with the prototype engine in Copenhagen.
This is the third award won by Ola Ruch in connection with the VOC Fuel project, which he has headed.
Statoil and MAN topped the innovation class in a competition staged by shipping journal Seatrade in 1998, when the VOC project was also awarded the Statoil chief executive's prize for health, safety and the environment.
The environmental aspects of this development could be highly significant in future following new requirements from the Norwegian Pollution Control Authority.
All operators involved in offshore loading from Norwegian fields are required to recover VOCs from 30 per cent of their cargo liftings by the end of 2001. And 95 per cent of such loadings must be covered by VOC recovery at 31 December 2005.
The first VOC Fuel facility is currently being tested on the Navion Viking shuttle tanker.