Battery-powered ships cross 2,000 mark - Maritime Battery Forum

Hybrids, which pair a battery with another power source such as a diesel engine or hydrogen fuel cell, account for 68% of more than 2,000 commercial ships fitted with batteries, according to the Maritime Battery Forum (MBF) ship register.

IMAGE: Illustration of Conoship's fully-electric vessel. Conoship

Plug-in hybrids account for 13% of the fleet, while fully electric ships make up 18%.

The register counts ships already delivered with batteries and those on order, which together hold 2.4 GWh of battery capacity. The average installation is estimated at about 1.5 MWh per ship. The release does not say how much diesel or other fuel the hybrid fleet consumes or displaces.

Passenger ships lead the register with 570 vessels, followed by 313 offshore vessels, 265 cargo ships and 219 fishing vessels. Tugs and cruise ships number 83 each.

Europe operates most of the documented fleet, led by Norway. The register tracks 267 ships in China, though the MBF said the country’s actual fleet is significantly larger.

Installations of up to 100 MWh per vessel are expected soon, as advances in battery and technology and pricing make larger fully electric ships economically viable, MBF managing director Syb ten Cate Hoedemaker said.

The IMO’s Net-Zero Framework, up for adoption in December, needs a global fuel standard and pricing mechanism to drive uptake of zero-emission fuels and technologies, including batteries, Zero Emissions Ship Technology Association (ZESTAs) Secretary-General Madadh MacLaine commented.

By Tuhin Roy

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