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MAN Diesel & Turbo has signed a contract to acquire a 40 percent stake in Aspin Kemp & Associates (AKA) - a Canadian company specializing in power supply, energy management and drive systems for marine applications.

AKA is a specialist in equipping diesel-hybrid powered vessel propulsion systems with integrated battery storage systems and on-board power systems in dynamic-positioning (DP) applications for the marine and offshore oil & gas sectors.

The company is also a leading player in energy storage and hybrid power solutions for a broader range of marine, offshore oil and gas and land-based applications.

AKA co-founder Jason Aspin is to remain with the company as managing director and shareholder. Neale Kemp, the other founding partner, is retiring from active business operations and selling his shares in AKA.

The investment forms part of MAN Diesel & Turbo's strategic development program named 'Basecamp 3000+', which was launched in 2016. As part of this program, the company announced strategic acquisitions and partnerships to expand its product range with respect to the global trends of decarbonisation and digitali-sation.

"The partnership with AKA is a key element in our strategy to strengthen our role as technological forerunner in the field of marine propulsion," said Dr Uwe Lauber, CEO of MAN Diesel & Turbo. "AKA's specialised expertise links battery storage systems and marine engines. The new cooperation marks an important step on the way to further establish ourselves as a principal system supplier for energy management on board ships."

Energy management systems provide fully automatic control and optimise the power distribution of drive components of ships. On ships with so-called hybrid drive, electric motors and battery storage systems are employed alongside diesel and multi-fuel engines. The battery system is recharged with surplus energy from the engine, enabling the engine to be operated in its optimum load range at all times. Any load peaks can be quickly and efficiently covered by the electrical storage system.

"As the world's premiere designer and manufacturer of marine propulsion systems, MAN Diesel & Turbo is the perfect partner for us," adds Jason Aspin. "We benefit not only from the global prestige of the brand, its global sales network and customer base, but also from the top-class engineering and ma-chine building competence in the fields of engines, exhaust gas after treatment and gas and propulsion systems."

Barend Thijssen, Vice President MAN Diesel & Turbo and Head of Sales & Promotion Four-Stroke Engines & Marine Systems, added: "AKA is a techno-logical pioneer in growth niches that are of decisive importance for us, for example in the integration of battery storage technology for hybrid drive systems for the maritime sector. Hybrid drives are becoming ever-more important as they help to improve the efficiency and at the same time reduce emissions."