Electric Propulsion News

The Panama Canal Authority ordered 10 hybrid tractor tugboats from European shipbuilder, Astilleros Armón, with options for another 10 similar vessels, and Corvus Energy will supply the battery systems for the hybrid-electric vessels.The Panama Canal Authority / Astilleros Armón contract signed in October 2023 was valued at $150 million total for the first 10 vessels, each 30-meter tugboats with 70-tonnes bollard pull.The tugboats will be equipped with hybrid-electric propulsion systems to reduce emissions during ship towage through the Panama Canal and while docking in Panamanian ports.

NatPower Marine and Peel Ports Group have announced plans to establish the first “green shipping corridors” between Ireland and the UK.The proposed project would see NatPower Marine develop the UK’s first commercial electric ship (e-ship) charging network to support electric propulsion and shoreside power as part of a global network.The network – which would require an estimated £100m investment from NatPower Marine – would see this dedicated e-ship charging infrastructure delivered across all eight UK and Irish ports operated by Peel Ports Group.

EST-Floattech will be providing the battery system for the purpose-built electric-landing utility vessel (E-LUV) to be built at Coastal Workboats’ new yard Stornoway. The company will also provide the shore-based power supply system.The collaboration with Coastal Workboats Scotland is realized due to Coastal Workboats receiving a £6 million (€7 million) grant to demonstrate the UK's first commercial electric workboat and charging station from the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition.The BV-classed E-LUV is set to be the UK's first commercial electric workboat.

The Coastal Sustainability Alliance (CSA), an industry collaborative effort led by Kuok Maritime Group (KMG), has announced the start of construction of its first fully electric PXO-series tug (e-tug) and supply boat (e-supply boat) by PaxOcean Group.The zero-emissions vessels are among the first and largest local electric harbour craft designed for operation in Singapore’s coastal waters. They are targeted for deployment in 2025, ahead of the nation’s goal for all new coastal…

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has launched the first pilot trial for electric harbor craft charging point at the Marina South Pier (MSP).The charging point was awarded to the Pyxis Energy, Pyxis Maritime, and SP Mobility partnership. Pyxis’s fleet of electric harbor craft operating at MSP will serve as the base offtake to ensure optimization of the charging infrastructure.The Pyxis and SP Mobility partnership has deployed a 150kW land-based direct current fast charger with a Combined Charging System 2 connector at MSP.

American Bureau Of Shipping (ABS) has joined the BlueBARGE project, a program funded by the Horizon Europe program and involving 14 partners from 10 European countries to develop a comprehensive solution for offshore electrical power bunkering.ABS is leading the 36-month, $11.9 million (€11 million) project and will support the consortium in safety, classification and regulatory compliance.To limit local pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, BlueBARGE is developing and testing a new way for ships docked in port to plug into electrical power known as cold ironing.

Chevron has chartered its first hybrid electric bunker tanker from V-Bunkers that will be used to provide fuel to maritime customers in Singapore region.The bunker tanker is expected to consume approximately 20% less fuel compared to a conventional tanker as it goes about its operations, which can reduce emissions and costs, according to Chevron.Instead of three auxiliary engines, as a conventional fueling barge this size would have, the barge has two auxiliary engines and an electric power distribution system.Current technology doesn’t allow barges to run completely on electricity…

Turkish shipbuilder Sanmar has delivered the sixth electric power tugboat from its ElectRA series to Norwegian operator Buksér og Berging.Named BB ELECTRA by its new owners, the tug will be based at the Port of Oslo.It boasts exclusive-to-Sanmar ElectRA 2200 SX design from Canadian naval architects Robert Allan, and represents the eighth tug that Sanmar has delivered to Buksér og Berging.With an overall length of 22.2 meters excluding fenders, molded breadth of 10.84 meters and least molded depth of 4.4 meters, BB ELECTRA has 1.718 kWh of battery power.

Turkish shipbuilder Sanmar has launched electric battery-powered ElectRA tug for its own fleet, which will provide towage, ship assistance and escorting services at six ports around Turkiye.ElectRA will be the seventh electric battery tug delivered from Sanmar Shipyards within a year, five of which are already operating in Vancouver in Canada, while the sixth is currently being delivered to Norway.Based on the ElectRA 2300SX design from Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd…

New Dual Fuel, Electric+ (DFE+) concept, developed by ABB and MAN Energy Solutions, has been recognized by DNV as a more energy efficient alternative to current conventional designs for liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers.DNV has quantified the gains that owners of LNG carriers could expect to achieve using the new DFE+ solution and found that it could help LNG carriers boost energy efficiency by up to 7.5%, therefore enabling greater emissions reduction.The number takes into account the smaller machinery space requirements with ‘a conservative estimate’ of 5% greater cargo capacity…

Scandlines has contracted Norwegian Electric Systems (NES) to deliver an onshore charging system to the ferry operator’s berth in Puttgarden, Germany.NES will deliver the system and connect the equipment to the power grid of the regional grid operator, Schleswig-Holstein Netz. The required components onshore include a 30MVA grid transformer, medium and low voltage transformers, and switchboards, in addition to control system and data collection system. NES will also deliver additional equipment to the ferry.Scandlines’ new zero direct emissions ferry…

Scandlines’ new zero direct emissions freight ferry has been launched at the Cemre Shipyard in Turkey.The ferry will be name Futura and deployed on the Fehmarn Belt between Germany and Denmark (Puttgarden-Rødby) in 2024. It will have a 10MWh energy storage system, the world's largest lithium-ion battery bank to date, which has been supplied by Swiss manufacturer, Leclanché.The 8.6 meter high ferry charger tower, developed by the German company, StemmannTechnik, is being prepared for installation at ferry berth 3 in Denmark’s Rødbyhavn.

Yinson GreenTech (YGT) and the Goal Zero Consortium led by SeaTech Solutions have officially launched Hydromover, a lightweight, 18.5 meter vessel that has become Singapore’s first fully electric cargo vessel.The vessel is designed with swappable battery solutions and can carry up to 25 tonnes of cargo. It generates zero emissions and can potentially reduce operational costs by up to 50% compared to conventional vessels due to improved energy efficiency and lower maintenance costs.The…

Norway's Kongsberg Maritime and Turkey's BMA Technology have partnered up to support the supply of low-voltage electrical products and engineering services to Turkish shipyards.BMA Technology, based in the Gebze Organized Industrial Zone, east of Istanbul, is a technology company providing electrical system solutions for the marine industry.As part of the alliance agreement, BMA Technology will manufacture, assemble, and test Kongsberg Maritime low-voltage electrical products in its facility in Türkiye.

Global energy and commodity group, Mercuria, and Netherlands-based ÈTA Shipping have established a joint venture for the construction of six diesel-electric shortsea general cargo vessels with the option for another 10.The vessels will be built by Taizhou Sanfu Ship Engineering in China and will be owned by Mare Balticum BV, a subsidiary of Mercuria, with ÈTA Shipping acting as a minority shareholder. The maiden voyage of the first vessel is planned for the second quarter of 2025.ÈTA Shipping’s modular design of the ÈTA 6700 vessel involves an electric motor that powers the propeller.

Avikus, HD Hyundai's autonomous navigation in-house startup, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Busan City, South Korea, and Korea Marine Consulting and Project Management Company (KMCP Co., Ltd.) for the development of an eco-friendly autonomous maritime tourism taxi service.Avikus will supply specialized self-navigating solutions for water taxis, while KMCP will provide an eco-friendly maritime taxi platform and assume the role of operating the water taxi service.

Damen Shipyards Group has unveiled the Multi Cat 1908 Electric, a fully electric, zero emissions operations workboat.The MuC 1908 E is based the Damen Multi Cat 1908, a proven product within the Damen portfolio that has been operating successfully around the world for over a quarter of a century.The MuC 1908 E is 19.05 meters by 8.4 meters, with a deck area of 35m². It offers seven tonnes of bollard pull and can travel at speeds of up to seven knots. The batteries used for the vessel’s propulsion have a lifetime of 10 years.

The world's first self-driving commercial passenger ferry entirely powered by electricity has been launched in Sweden.The Norwegian shipping company Torghatten AS will operate the passenger ferry between the Stockholm islands of Kungsholmen and Södermalm. The aim is to create more sustainable urban mobility.The idea of autonomous urban ferries started at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim. Based on the researchers' results, the company Zeabuz was founded…

VIKING Life-Saving Equipment and maritime electric motor systems developer Evoy launched an electrically powered 6.55m rescue boat, the VIKING Norsafe E-Mako-655. The Mako-655 is an existing rescue boat design that, up until now, has only been offered with traditional engine propulsion due to the current IMO/SOLAS regulation which states that rescue boats of this type must have at least one internal combustion engine.VIKING Norsafe and Evoy are challenging what they call a "somewhat…

Norway's Kongsberg Maritime said Friday it would supply a complete propulsion and control system package for a forthcoming Scandlines zero-emissions ferry which, when built, is destined to be the world’s largest all-electric double-ended ferry. The ferry has been designed by LMG Marin AS in Norway and will be constructed at Cemre Shipyard in Turkey, in cooperation with Scandline’s vessel-newbuild experts. The freight ferry is expected to enter service in 2024. The new 147.4 meters…

Aqua superPower announced a strategic partnership with AC charge point developer e-concept, which has developed a novel design of charging posts that have been approved for use in certain sensitive environments including the canals in Venice. Aqua superPower will be developing charging infrastructure for marine and inland water applications deploying e-concept’s AC charging posts where environmental, cultural and heritage factors need to be considered.e-concept manufactures public and private recharging stations for electric boats and for the transition towards electric marine transport.

“Wavelab” will be an advanced testbed for sustainable urban mobility technologiesTorqeedo won a contract to supply a complete electric drive train for an autonomous boat in the German city of Kiel. Dubbed “Wavelab”, the electric vessel will serve as a research platform for the “Clean Autonomous Public Transport Network” (CAPTN) initiative in Kiel. The program aims to create the infrastructure for an integrated inner-city mobility network based on multiple modes of transport on…