Kongsberg to supply battery-hybrid technology to Grimaldi’s ro-ro pair

Norwegian technology company Kongsberg Maritime has inked a deal to supply battery-hybrid systems to Neapolitan shipping firm Grimaldi Group’s two new roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) vessels.

PHOTO: Grimaldi’s battery-hybrid ro-ro vessel Eco Catania at a port. Kongsberg Marine

Battery-hybrid systems utilise an engine combined with an electric battery. As the vessel travels, the systems are recharged, and excess energy is stored in batteries. The batteries can provide extra power during periods of maximum power requirement or fully run the vessel in low-power situations.

Kongsberg Maritime will provide all the technology related to battery-hybrid systems, including converters, battery energy storage and propulsion systems.

The ro-ro vessels will be built at China Merchant Jinling Shipyard and delivered by 2025. The contract worth NOK 220 million (around $22 million) was signed in the fourth quarter of 2022.

The vessels will join Grimaldi’s existing fleet of 12 battery-hybrid ro-ro vessels, of which the latest - Eco Italia - was delivered in October last year. While sailing, the vessels can run on hybrid electricity, while docked, they can operate entirely on battery power.

The company claims these vessels can “reduce carbon dioxide emissions by half per unit transported on shorter routes.”

“Continuation of these vessels represents the future of commercial maritime vessels, incorporating practical hybrid technology that allows major cuts in carbon emissions,” said Kongsberg Maritime president Lisa Edvardsen Haugan.

By Tuhin Roy

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