Ship design and engineering company Foreship has secured its 40th shipboard battery project.

The company has been at the heart of Energy Storage System (ESS) work in the cruise and ferry sectors, whilst also playing a major role in advancing the use of battery power aboard inland vessels.

• Key projects have included the largest ESS ever connected and key work to standardize systems interfaces.
• Current Direct — the Horizon 2020 project that envisages swappable batteries as the lifeblood of a fleet of all-electric ships along European waterways — is a project where Foreship has taken the technical specification lead role.

Almost 600 vessels in operation feature batteries as part of their energy source solutions, according to the Maritime Battery Forum, whilst a further 190 ships are said to be on order.

• Foreship estimates that around 645MWh of shipboard battery power was in service worldwide at the start of 2023 — around 400MWh more than in 2019.

What they said: "The case for batteries on board ships is increasingly compelling, whether owners are optimizing fuel efficiency by exploiting spinning reserve, maximizing engine efficiency with peak load shaving, or using batteries in specific circumstances as a zero-emission energy source," said Jan-Erik Räsänen, Chief Technology Officer, Foreship.

• As advances in battery technology improve the power versus size/weight ratio, the usefulness of stored energy as a zero-emission propulsion solution and as a back-up in case of engine failure will continue to rise, Räsänen posits. "The increasing use of battery technology is making ships more efficient and greener, but also safer," he commented.
• And while batteries are used sparingly for main propulsion today, Räsänen points out that they convert energy to thrust with much higher efficiency than diesel engines. "Given IMO goals to reduce ship carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve 50% carbon reduction by 2050, regulators, class, naval architects and systems suppliers have a responsibility to harmonize technical standards for zero emission battery power," he added.