New Partnership Aims to Electrify Inland Waterway Transport

October 11, 2022

The Electric Eel, which is awaiting AIP approval from BV, aims to have a range of 300 nm. Image courtesy Western Baltic Engineering.

Battery maker AYK Energy and Western Baltic Engineering strike partnership to electrify inland waterway transport.

Lithuanian ship designer Western Baltic Engineering (WBE) is accelerating the development of its recently unveiled electric ‘pusher’ vessel with the signing of a new partnership with battery maker AYK Energy, an agreement that will see the companies collaborate on building the first electric pusher vessel, named the Electric Eel for the Lithuanian Inland Waterways Authority before expanding to the wider EU market.

The 26-m Electric Eel design aims to provide a 300km range before recharge, and is currently pending class Approval in Principle with Bureau Veritas.

The new partnership will focus on initially deploying AYK's Aries + model 17.6 KW hour li-ion batteries with the potential to expand to its 23.3 KW hour Centarus & Aquarius ranges.