Electric News

Western Baltic Engineering (WBE), a Lithuanian maritime engineering company, and Belgium’s Batia Mosa Shipyard announced a strategic partnership aiming to transform European inland waterway shipping with the launch of WBE’s design electric pusher vessel series, BlueKick. The collaboration aligns with the Shipyards’ & Maritime Equipment Association of Europe (SEA Europe)'s advocacy for the European Commission's focus on advancing the inland waterways sector. SEA Europe has called for ambitious measures to prioritize sustainable…

Flagship Cruises & Events, a San Diego-based yacht charter, announced a $15.27m grant from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to develop two fully electric, zero-emission ferries to serve the San Diego to Coronado route. With advanced battery technology, the vessels will not emit any greenhouse gases during operation and will remove the particulate matter associated with traditional combustion engines. The CARB Advanced Technology Demonstration and Pilot Project grant is part of California Climate Investments…

AYK Energy has completed the installation and sea trials for the second Brittany Ferries vessel to feature the biggest marine battery ever built.AYK installed the 12 megawatt-hours (MWh) Orion+ battery into Brittany Ferries Guillaume de Normandie hybrid electric ferry after installing the same battery system aboard its sister ship Saint-Malo at China Merchants Jinling Shipyard Weihai. The vessel has now completed its sea trials and is heading to Britain, where it will operate the Portsmouth – Caen route.

Since entering service in 2015, the all-electric ferry MF Ampere has sailed the equivalent of 17 times around the equator on batteries alone.Despite a chorus of critics and skeptics in during the project, a decade later, Ampere continues to showcase the potential of electric technology, tech that has been emulated in ferries globally.It all started with the Ampere and the Norwegian Public Road Administration's decision to require sustainable technology onboard the newbuild destined to transport passengers and vehicles across the Sognefjord on Norway's west coast.

Stralsunder Ostseestaal GmbH & Co. KG and its Ampereship business unit delivered two electric solar ferries to Lago d'Iseo near Bergamo in northern Italy as planned. The client was the responsible local authority of the operator Navigazione Lago d'Iseo, and the new vessels are the first fully electric ferries in Italy.Measuring 25 x 6.6m, the Iseo ferries each have two electric drives with 100 kW output. Electricity is supplied by two battery banks with a total capacity of around 750 kWh.

Sanmar ends 2024 strong with the launch of the first fully electric tugboat to operate in Latin America.Ordered by SAAM Towage, the new tug is based on the exclusive-to-Sanmar ElectRA 2500SX design from naval architects Robert Allan Ltd, and is the eighth fully electric tug Sanmar has built.The tug built for SAAM Towage measures 25.4 x 12.86m with a draft of 5.55m, and with a installed battery capacity 3,616 kWh can achieve a bollard pull ahead of at least 70 tonnes and a speed…

Damen Shipyards has launched the second of its fully electric RSD-E Tugs 2513 at Damen Song Cam Shipyard.The tug is being built for the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, together with five conventional RSD Tugs 2513.When delivered later this year, it will be the first fully electric tug to operate in European waters.The port was one of the first to operate a conventional RSD Tug 2513 following Damen’s release of the vessel onto the market in 2018.The Port of Antwerp-Bruges, one of the busiest in Europe…

SCHOTTEL will equip Guangzhou Port Group’s latest e-tug with two RudderPropellers type SRP 360 in the LE-Drive variant. The new harbor tug measures 37.9 x 10.5m and will be mainly used for berthing assistance, escorting and towing in the Port of Guangzhou, China. Each SRP has an input power of 1,500 kW and a propeller diameter of 2.2m. The 360-degree steerable thruster combines maximum maneuverability and bollard pull with outstanding efficiency during free sailing, providing…

Imoto Lines and Marindows have outlined plans to build the next generation zero-emission domestic container ship capable of hybrid operation using Japan's first exchangeable container batteries, alongside onboard batteries and generators.The joint project between the companies aims to address three major challenges of the maritime industry - decarbonization, crew shortage, and safe navigation.The three-year project is supported by the Ministry of the Environment, Government of…

Brunvoll Mar-El will deliver the onshore charging system for the Bergen area fast ferries, more specifically on the Knarvik-Bergen and Kleppestø-Bergen routes. Brunvoll Mar-El has from earlier been contracted to deliver the electrical and hybrid system integration for the 3 ferries, and the contracts add up to both onboard and onshore system integration.Brunvoll Mar-El is a systems integrator in the market for power and weight optimized low-emission high-speed passenger vessels.

cutSOFEC_EBUOY_DETAIL_01_20231206As the need for electrical power for vessels at sea grows, SOFEC announced that ABS awarded the newly developed Electric Charging Buoy (ECB) an Approval in Principle (AiP). Traditional SOFEC CALM buoy designs have integrated electrical power cable management solutions that allow vessel(s) mooring while utilizing externally supplied power. By using this proven concept, SOFEC can leverage its buoy designs and modify them to accommodate offshore electric power transfer from seaports or offshore wind farms substations to Electric Vessels.

A third battery electric tugboat built by Sanmar Shipyards in Türkiye has been delivered to HaiSea Marine,Canada. Haisea Brave is scheduled to work in Vancouver alongside its sisters HaiSea Wamis and HaiSea Wee'Git before all three – along with two Sanmar-built LNG-fuelled tugs – are transferred to LNG Canada’s new export facility in Kitimat, British Columbia.HaiSea Marine is a joint venture majority owned by the Haisla Nation in partnership with Seaspan ULC, that will provide…

A few weeks ago I was talking to some professional fire fighters and was regaled with EV fire fighting disasters. They told me that EV caught fire all the time, that EV fires were much more dangerous than gasoline fires, and that fire trucks could not carry enough water to put out an EV fire. When I asked if they had fought any EV fires, they told me their information came from reliable sources and then asked me if I would park my Chevy Bolt in my garage. They focused on my Chevy Bolt, since it is widely regarded as a fire hazard.

Moises DelToro at GE Vernova’s Power Conversion business, discusses how deploying a Ship’s Electric Grid is a flexible way to accommodate growing energy demands for naval and coast guard vessels.A new age of electrificationWe’re in a new naval era and it is reshaping views about fleet mixes and capabilities. Modern fleets need to be mission-configurable, highly capable for military advantage, adaptable for technology insertion, but still affordable. The growing demand for vessel power is increasingly an enabler for mission systems, not just for platform propulsion.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has issued an Expression of Interest inviting interested parties to submit proposals to design and promote the adoption of full-electric harbour craft in Singapore.The Ministry of Transport announced this year that the harbour craft, pleasure craft and tug boat sectors would be required to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 in line with Singapore’s national net zero ambitions. To support this goal, operators with new harbour craft plans should inform the MPA about their plans from January 2027, so that the designs can be adjusted if required.

Sanmar Shipyards delivered its first battery electric tug to ABS class for Canada-based HaiSea Marine, a joint venture partnership between the Haisla First Nation and Seaspan ULC.The HAISEA WAMIS harbor tug, the first in its ElectRA 2800SX series, will be part of a fleet of harbor and escort tugs providing services to LNG Canada’s future terminal in British Columbia and is equipped with two steerable, fixed pitch (FP), azimuthing, L-drive propulsion units powered by electric motors integrated on top of each unit.

Samsung Heavy Industries is introducing electric vehicles for business use at its Geoje shipyard.The shipyard has introduced 15 electric trucks and one electric passenger car as part of Korea’s zero-emission vehicle transition which it joined last February. Members have declared that they will convert business vehicles owned to 100% zero-emission vehicles by 2030.Starting with the supply of electric vehicles, Samsung Heavy Industries plans to convert all 370 commercial vehicles currently owned or leased to zero-emission vehicles such as electric and hydrogen vehicles by 2030…

Belov Engenharia Shipyard, located in Salvador, Brazil, delivered the first Robert Allan Ltd. designed RApide 2000-E pushboat – HB Poraque. It is the first of two battery/diesel electric vessels for Hidrovias do Brasil S.A. HB Poraque is a battery electric shallow draft pushboat, with a second vessel, HB Enguia, due for delivery in May 2023. The vessels will provide terminal assistance in the Amazon River system and can perform their core operations purely on battery power.The RApide 2000-E designs are fitted with a DC grid diesel-electric propulsion system…

Vard Electro signed a multi-million-euro agreement with Yaskawa Environmental Energy / The Switch to supply full DC distribution systems along with its protection devices. With the deal, Vard Electro will be able to serve its clients with design and engineering services that take advantage of DC distribution solutions.The Switch DC-Hub is a technology for a multi-megawatt DC distribution system, designed and optimized from the start for DC distribution. The Switch DC-Hub comes…

HaiSea Marine, majority owned by Haisla Nation in partnership with Seaspan ULC, celebrated the naming and blessing of its tug boat fleet – which includes the world’s first fully electric harbor tug boat, along with dual fuel (LNG and Diesel) escort tug boats. Once delivered, the green fleet will provide ship-assist and escort towing services to LNG carriers calling at LNG Canada’s new export facility in Kitimat in the traditional territory of the Haisla Nation.Members of the Haisla Nation joined representatives from Seaspan…

The Portuguese shipyard Navaltagus, a part of the industrial ETE group, is building the first electrical car and passenger ferry in Portugal, and the yard awarded Zinus the contract to supply the autonomous connection enabling the ferry to charge its batteries while berthed.With a capacity of 260 passengers and 19 cars, the ferry is scheduled to enter service in the summer of 2023 – replacing the existing diesel-powered ferry operating between Forte da Barra in Ilhavo and São Jacinto in the municipality of Aveiro.

Sanmar Shipyards and IGUS joined forces to develop and build a new electric bunkering system that is designed to be compact and able to supply a variety vessel types with onshore power.To this end, the companies have designed and built the Shore Power Dispenser System which can be operated by just one crew member.According to the companies, the modular design allows an extension of the dispenser system to provide higher charging power capacities easily. Each cable dispenser module can handle 500A current capacity (up to 1000V AC).For Sanmar…

Ask the right government department in any G7 state and you’ll find funding to put battery power for your vessel. Beyond funds, new battery makers and system integrators are ironing out safety issues, and a growing number of giga-sized cell factories offer hope that costs will fall for marine energy storage, as ESS choice grows. Efforts are also underway to recycle rare earth elements and to augment or greenify staggeringly high plant electricity inputs. Apart from funding, the drivers of change include constraints on shipping in Emissions Free Areas like the fjords of Norway…