Maersk to trial containerised marine battery systemMaersk to trial containerised marine battery system

The 600 kWh marine battery system will be installed onto the 2011-built, 4,500-teu Maersk Cape Town in December this year for the trial.

“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. Maersk will continue to facilitate, test, and develop low-carbon solutions on our journey to become carbon neutral by 2050,” explained Søren Toft, coo of Maersk.

While propelling ships with battery power alone is still years away from being a technically and economically viable option, marine battery systems can be used to improve the efficiency of a vessel’s onboard electrical systems.

By maintaining the vessel’s auxiliary generators at a more optimal load and avoiding running generators when not needed, overall fuel consumption can be reduced.

Additionally, it will support the generators with up to 1,800 kVA of power during rapid changes in electrical load such as thruster operation. This can reduce generator maintenance requirements. The battery system is also capable of providing redundant power, which can improve reliability at sea by ensuring continuous power supply.

Ole Graa, Maersk head of fleet technology, said: “This exciting pilot – the first of its kind in the industry - will show the potential of battery technologies to keep improving the performance of our vessels while also reducing fuel consumption in our non-propulsion electrical systems.”

The containerised battery energy storage system has been manufactured in Odense, Denmark by system integrator and turnkey supplier Trident Maritime Systems.

The first full voyage of Maersk Cape Town with the new system will take place next year.