World’s Largest Marine Battery Powers Second Brittany Ferries Hybrid Vessel

AYK Energy, a leading provider of certified marine batteries, has installed its second 12 megawatt-hour (MWh) Orion+ marine battery on Brittany Ferries’ hybrid-electric vessel, Guillaume de Normandie.

The same battery system was installed in its sister ship, Saint-Malo, earlier at China Merchants Jinling Shipyard Weihai.

Guillaume de Normandie has now completed its sea trials and is heading to the UK to operate on the Portsmouth-Caen route, while Saint Malo is set to start service this month on the Portsmouth-St Malo route.

AYK Energy’s founder, Chris Kruger, stated that the company has built and installed the two largest marine batteries ever built at the same time for two vessels. He said that this was a big achievement for the company.

According to Kruger, winning the order in April 2024 and completing the project by early 2025 shows the efficiency of the company’s team and manufacturing facility.

Kruger added that these vessels are a major advancement in marine battery technology, improving energy density, safety, and installation speed.

He said that battery-powered vessels are becoming cost-competitive with traditional internal combustion engine ships, which is essential for the shipping industry’s decarbonisation and compliance with the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets.

The Guillaume de Normandie and Saint-Malo are hybrid vessels designed to operate using LNG, battery power, or a combination of both.

The hybrid system allows them to run on zero-emission battery power while entering and exiting ports, reducing emissions and improving air quality in port areas.

In Portsmouth, these ships will benefit from shore power connections, making it the only ferry port in the UK to provide electric shore-to-ship power.

Kruger says that European shipowners are facing increasing regulatory pressures, with stringent legislation like FuelEU and the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) set to take effect in 2025.

These regulations are making electric propulsion a more attractive option for the industry. He added that AYK Energy has also launched a new battery, Pisces, which has high energy density and can fully power larger vessels such as ferries, offshore support vessels, drilling rigs, and wind farm vessels.

Kruger has played a pioneering role in marine battery technology. His work includes developing the battery for the first hybrid propulsion ferry, Princess Benedikte, and the first fully electric ferry, Ampere, in 2012.

Originally from South Africa and now based in Andorra, Kruger established AYK Energy in 2018.

The company built its first factory in China in 2023 to be closer to the centre of the battery industry’s supply chain, which he said is a decade ahead of Europe.

Reference: Ayk Energy

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