Maersk vessel tests battery propulsion
Electronic propulsion is the order of the day. Thus, a containerised 600 kWh marine battery system will be installed in a trial on board the “Maersk Cape Town” in December 2019 to improve vessel performance while reducing CO2 emissions. The vessel is a Singapore-flagged 249 m long container ship built in 2011 that sails between West Africa and East Asia.
Maersk's former COO, Søren Toft, was quoted in a press release, saying that "this trial will provide a greater understanding of energy storage that will support Maersk in moving towards further electrification of its fleet and port terminals.” Nevertheless, propelling marine vessels with battery power alone are still years away from being a technically and economically viable option.
At this stage, they can be used to improve the efficiency of a vessel’s on board electrical systems such as the “Maersk Cape Town’s” generators. The containerised battery energy storage system was manufactured in Odense (Denmark) by the system integrator and turnkey supplier Trident Maritime Systems.
The battery system will shortly be transported to Singapore and installed on board the “Maersk Cape Town”. The first full voyage with the new system in place will start next year and will be closely monitored to evaluate the performance of the system with regard to the aims of the trial. (fd)