Manufacturers must prioritize holistic design to build safer cost efficient Batteries

摘要

The age of electrification in shipping is far from mature, but it's certainly upon us, particularly in coastal regions. DNV-GL recently found that there were 356 all-electric or hybrid-electric vessels in operation or under construction in 2019, more than the total number of LNG vessels in operation today. While more shipowners are experimenting with marine battery technologies on ever larger vessels, including in ground-breaking projects like the installation of a 600kWh battery on the Maersk Cape Town and the construction of the zero emission hybrid container ship the Yara Birkeland, the greatest beneficiaries today are still smaller vessels like dredges. Ships that routinely make short voyages while utilizing complex on board equipment can benefit from the greatest operational cost savings as well as the most relevant improvements in operability through electrification. Dredges are part of this class, and there has been a sharp increase in the number of fully electric and hybrid electric vessels ordered in recent years. It is no wonder that the biggest growth areas for marine batteries are in near shore vessels. However, the industry must be cautious to ensure that safety is not side-lined in a rush to provide systems that look cheaper on paper. The operational risks in marine batteries can be mitigated through proper design and planning, but this requires suppliers to take an honest and safety-focused approach.