Seven fascinating hybrid ship trends that everyone needs to know about

The next decade is promising some exciting developments for hybrid vessels. Here are seven trends that you’ll want to hear about! - Insights by Wärtsilä

Hybrid marine system – Wärtsilä HY

What are hybrid ships?

Hybrid ships are vessels that use two power sources, usually a conventional combustion engine and a rechargeable battery. They can be as small as a local ferry or as large as a Pure Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC). The number of hybrid ships is growing across all segments. The offshore industry used to be the biggest market for ships with hybrid systems, but today there are hybrid versions of small merchant vessels, PCTCs, RoRo and RoPax ferries, smaller ferries, and special vessels like tugs and research ships.

How do hybrid ships work?

Hybrid electric ships can instantly switch between engine and battery when required, or they can be used simultaneously. The battery is used in one of two ways:

For optimising the propulsion train – the battery is used for functions like spinning reserve, peak shaving, black out prevention or load ramp-up support

For zero-emission sailing – the battery is the sole power source for the vessel in manoeuvring or harbour operations.

The key to maximising the benefits of a hybrid system is a dedicated energy management system (EMS) that both optimises the interaction of the different power sources and safeguards the battery by directly controlling the converter that determines the charge and discharge rate. A standard power management system (PMS) cannot do this.

Will hybrid save me money?

Running a hybrid ship can provide fuel savings of 15–25% compared to an equivalent diesel-powered vessel. Gensets are subject to less wear and tear because they can be powered down when the battery takes over, meaning maintenance costs are lower too.