Marine battery maker AYK Energy supplies second Brittany Ferries vessel with biggest battery in world
AYK Energy has completed the installation and sea trials for the second Brittany Ferries vessel to feature the biggest marine battery ever built. AYK installed the 12 megawatt-hour (MWh) Orion+ battery into Brittany Ferries Guillaume de Normandie hybrid electric ferry after installing the exact same battery system aboard its sister ship Saint-Malo at China Merchants Jinling Shipyard Weihai. The vessel has now completed its sea trials and is heading to Britain where it will operate the Portsmouth – Caen route. The Saint-Malo ferry meanwhile is set to operate Portsmouth - St Malo route with the first sailing scheduled this month.
AYK Founder Chris Kruger hailed AYK’s achievement to manufacture and install the two biggest marine batteries ever made at the same time for two ships.“We would again like to thank Brittany Ferries for giving AYK the opportunity to supply these two highly innovative ferries,” he said. “This was a huge job for our company and shows how we are maturing as a business. To win the order in April 2024 and deliver the project by early 2025 shows the capability of our team and factory.”
Mr Kruger said the project is a major landmark for marine battery technology. “These two ferries demonstrate how marine battery technology is advancing in energy density, safety and speed of installation,’ he said. “We are further seeing that the cost of battery powered vessels is starting to compete with internal combustion engine ships. This is important if electric batteries are to play a key role in the decarbonization of shipping and help the industry meet the IMO’s GHG targets.”
Mr Kruger said the vessels will be able to operate on zero emission battery power while entering and exiting port immediately improving air quality and cutting emissions in built up port areas. He said the vessels are designed to run on LNG, battery-power or a combination of the two. In Portsmouth the ships will further benefit from the installation plug in shore power, the only ferry port in the UK offering electric shore to ship power.
Mr Kruger said with pressure piling onto European ship owners from regulators in the form legislation carrying stiff fines such as FuelEU and the EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) due to come into force from 2025, going electric is becoming more attractive.
