Battery Solution News

Norwegian shipping line UECC announced it has taken delivery of its third and final newbuild multi-fuel liquefied natural gas (LNG) battery hybrid pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) as the company works toward meeting new requirements for low-emission ship operations with the green transformation of its fleet.The latest newbuild, to be named Auto Aspire, was delivered on October 20 at China’s Jiangnan Shipyard and will soon join sister vessels Auto Advance and Auto Achieve plying…

U.S.-based Spear Power Systems said it will provide its Trident marine battery systems for SeaBubbles' 100% electric, hybrid hydrogen and batteries flying boats. The first-of-its-kind water vehicle designed by France-based manufacturer SeaBubbles has been developed to help alleviate heavy congestion in cities close to bodies of water.The SeaBubbles flying boats have already completed test runs in Geneva, Paris and the Mediterranean basin, and have subsequently been chosen to receive funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.

Danish offshore support vessel owner Maersk Supply Service has ordered a battery pack for one of its M-class vessels, the Anchor Handling Tug Supply vessel Maersk Minder, as part of its plan to reduce the company's carbon intensity by 50% across its fleet in 2030.Mark Handin, COO of Maersk Supply Service said: "Maersk Supply Service is taking an active role in decarbonizing the offshore support vessel sector. This requires both behavioral changes in the way we operate our vessels, as well as technological upgrades to our fleet.

Eidesvik said it plans to upgrade its offshore wind support vessel Acergy Viking with a battery pack and hybrid propulsion solution, in line with the Norwegian vessel operator's plans to reduce its fleet’s emissions by 50% by 2030 and to operate emissions-free by 2050.The conversion of the 14-year-old vessel will be completed in the first quarter of 2022. With hybrid propulsion, the 97.6-meter ship is expected to reduce diesel consumption (MGO) by up to 350 tonnes per year, with a corresponding reduction in CO2 emissions of more than 1,000 tonnes per year, Eidesvik said.“Eidesvik took an active role in the development of a battery solution for ships already in 2006.

Norwegian shipbuilder VARD has won contracts to build three Service Operation Vessels (SOVs) for the UK-based North Star Renewables. The vessels, to be built in Vietnam, will operate on the Dogger Bank Wind Farm in the North Sea, the world's largest.The shipbuilding contract announcement comes three weeks after North Star said it had won a deal worth around $375 million to supply SOVs for the giant wind farm off the UK. The 3.6 GW Dogger Bank wind farm is being built  in three phases in the North Sea by joint venture partners SSE Renewables…

When the maritime history books are written, 2020 will be viewed as a year of pivots, re-invention and new paradigms. By February 2020, concerns about marine fuel’s sulfur content quickly shifted to near-term disruptions induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. By mid-year, with demand recovering, the conversation turned to longer term questions surrounding the moves towards reduced maritime carbon emissions and alternative fuels. How will this all impact the current fleet?Perhaps the most extreme reaction to the shifting landscape is the ongoing “pivot” of Scorpio Bulk (NYSE: SALT)…

Golden Energy Offshore, Kongsberg collaborate to reduce operational fuel consumption.While vessel owners mull a myriad of fuel and emission reduction technologies, Norwegian Offshore Service Vessel (OSV) owner and operator Golden Energy Offshore reports a 20% operational fuel savings courtesy of its work on vessel performance monitoring with Kongsberg Maritime, a collaboration which includes the deployment of the containerized SAVe Energy battery system earlier this year.“We have a high focus on how our environmental footprint can be reduced…

Norwegian-Canadian marine propulsion energy storage solutions provider Corvus Energy has opened its a new battery manufacturing facility in Bergen, Norway. The automated factory is equipped with a digitized production line based on nine robotic stations and has the capacity of up to 400 MWh per year.“There is an electric revolution going on in the maritime sector, and we want to deliver the best solutions in the industry," said Geir Bjørkeli, CEO, Corvus Energy. "The Corvus team in Vancouver developed the groundbreaking battery solution that accelerated adoption of zero-emission and hybrid marine propulsion systems, particularly in Norway.

Corvus Energy, the Norwegian-Canadian designer and manufacturer of energy storage solutions for marine propulsion and electrical systems opens  a new automated battery factory in Bergen, Norway to meet demand.“There is an electric revolution going on in the maritime sector, and we want to deliver the best solutions in the industry,” said Geir Bjørkeli, CEO of Corvus Energy.“The Corvus team in Vancouver developed the groundbreaking battery solution that accelerated adoption of zero-emission and hybrid marine propulsion systems, particularly in Norway. With so many of our customers and partners in Norway, it only made sense to add production capacity here, which gives us flexibility and will speed deliveries.

Deltamarin has signed a contract with Rauma Marine Constructions Oy (RMC) for the design of a car passenger ferry for Kvarken Link AB, a Finnish-Swedish consortium.Deltamarin’s commission covers basic and detail design services for all hull and machinery areas. The value of the contract with RMC is about $4.5M. The work will be carried out over a period of 13-14 months at Deltamarin’s offices in Finland and Poland with the assistance of network companies.The ferry will have a freight capacity of 1,500 lane-meters for trucks on two cargo decks and she will accommodate 800 passengers.

Finnish shipbuilder Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) has signed a letter of intent with the ferry operator Kvarken Link for the construction of a dual fuel ferry.The vessel order will have a value of approximately EUR120 million (USD137.63 million), said a press release.The vessel commissioned by Kvarken Link, a company owned by the cities of Umeå (Sweden) and Vaasa (Finland), will operate between the two cities.he vessel order will have an impact on employment totalling around 800 person-years. The formal construction agreement is to be signed in early 2019, with the design and construction work set to start immediately thereafter, says Jyrki Heinimaa, CEO of RMC.”RMC won the public international tender thanks to our expert knowledge and technology.

Norwegian subsidiary of Italian oil company Eni Norge AS and Stavanger shipping company Simon Møkster Shipping cut fuel consumption on the vessel Stril Barents in the Goliat field.According to a press release from the Norwegean offshore vessel owner, this should be done by installing a land flow system combined with an energy storage battery solution on board.The system will provide better control and higher safety margins as it is installed in addition to existing engines on board. During demanding offshore operations such as dynamic positioning along installations, large load variations can occur, it said.According to the release, the battery will act as an energy buffer that supplies the required energy immediately and thus much faster than an internal combustion engine.

The Fjords will add another all electric passenger vessel to its fleet Legacy of The Fjords which is now under construction at Brødrene Aa. While the operator is certainly not new to the innovative, zero emission ferry market, this 400-passenger, carbon fiber catamaran is unique in that it marks the company’s move into a new operating area: Oslo.Currently The Fjords operates 11 vessels serving Western Norway’s fjords area, Vision of the Fjords and Future of the Fjords serving as the flagships, sailing daily between Flåm and Gudvangen.

A primer on the quickly evolving topic of on board battery technology.Energy storage itself is actually old news. Since the sails were taken down for good, merchant vessels have crossed the oceans using some kind of energy safely stored on board. Be it Coal, Diesel, Gasoline or Natural Gas, and regardless of energy type, safe storage onboard has been vital for safety and completion of the planned trip. On the other hand, active use of batteries in propulsion systems is relatively new.

Earlier this summer Maritime Reporter & Engineering News ventured to Ålesund/Sunnmøre area of western Norway visiting local manufacturers and suppliers serving the global maritime industry and featuring a series of business and technology presentations by leading sector companies including Inmarsat, VARD Group, Ulstein Group, Brunvoll, Ulmatec, Jets, ABB Marine & Ports, Fostech AS and Rolls-Royce Marine. Tom Mulligan reports on new business developments and technology innovations…

Oresund Dry Docks: The Biggest Shipyard in SwedenWhile shipbuilding and ship repair has largely exited the European stage for Far East locales, shipyards such as Oresund Dry Docks in Landskrona, Sweden, maintain a healthy workload. Magnus Malmström, Oresund Dry Docks’ Sales Manager said in a recent interview with Maritime Reporter that Oresund is the largest yard left in Sweden, dedicated to conversion and repair, since 1915. While it was involved in the newbuild business to the 1980s, its business today is dominated by passenger, RoPax and tanker repair and conversion business.

Ulstein Verft has signed a shipbuilding contract with the Germany-based Bernhard Schulte for a service operation vessel (SOVs) of the ULSTEIN SX195 design type developed by Ulstein Design & Solutions. The vessel will support the maintenance work of GE Renewable Energy at the German wind farm Merkur Offshore.The project has been developed in cooperation with WINDEA Offshore, which is the Bernhard Schulte's affiliate for offshore wind projects."Ulstein Verft is a very reliable yard and we are eager to start working together with ULSTEIN again.

Shipbuilder Vard Holdings Limited said it has been awarded a contract to build a new car- and passenger ferry due for delivery to Norwegian public transport operator Boreal in the third quarter of 2019. The vessel will ply the Norwegian fjords powered by a fully electrical battery solution for continuous electric operations. Vard said the vessel’s hull will be constructed at one of its Romanian yards, Vard Braila, and final delivery will take place from Vard Brevik in Norway.

The technology group Wärtsilä has agreed to retrofit the world’s first energy storage solution on board a large offshore supply vessel. The North Sea Giant, one of the world’s largest and most advanced subsea construction vessels, will be fitted with an energy storage system that reduces the vessel’s energy consumption, operating costs and exhaust emissions. The retrofit energy storage system improves the operational efficiency and environmental footprint of the North Sea Giant, responding to key requirements of Norwegian North Sea Shipping AS, the owner of the vessel.

The Norwegian aquaculture and fishing industry has joined the green shipping wave with a number of pioneering electric fleet initiatives. In 2015, the Norwegian maritime industry launched the DNV GL-led public private initiative, the Green Coastal Shipping Program. The idea was to encourage research and development of green technology concepts in the country’s shipping sector. Together with 25 partners from the Norwegian maritime industry and authorities, they presented five pilot projects, mostly within oil and gas and cargo transport. However, one of the pilots targets the aquaculture segment with an environmentally friendly fish farm support vessel.

Hybrid drive and potential fuel savings are well known — from 10 to 30 percent, according to the sources we’ve written about over the years. Less known, is the potential need to purchase some sort of remote monitoring package to complement that diesel-electric or battery hybrid system from a system operator in order to secure the maximum safety benefits. As the count of system operators offering hybrid drives grows, so too, it seems, there’s continuous need to look at who they are and what they’re offering.

ABB’s project to convert two HH Ferries’ vessels into the world’s largest emission-free ferries is gathering pace after Öresund Dry Docks was selected to carry out the work. M/F Tycho Brahe and M/F Aurora will both be fitted with 4.16 MW of batteries and the containers with the battery racks will be lifted on board in February 2017. The dry-docking of the first vessel, Tycho Brahe, will begin in April and it will start operating as a fully electric ferry immediately when work is completed. Aurora will undergo the same process in October 2017. This highly innovative project also includes the installation of four fully automated shore-side charging arms and these are currently under construction in ABB´s factories.

ABB informs it will supply the complete power and propulsion systems for two HH Ferries Group vessels to become the world´s largest emission-free electric ferries. The modernizations utilize turnkey ABB solutions including batteries, an energy storage control system and Onboard DC Grid technology. At both ends of the route ABB will supply the first automated shore-side charging stations using an ABB industrial robot, to optimize the connection time and therefore maximize the charging period.