DNV GL sets up new ‘ReCharge' hybrid and battery project in Norway

The project is set to research alternative power systems for shipping such as battery-powered vessels and hybrids. “Charging options are critically important for batter-powered ships and plug-in hybrid vessels,” says project leader Hans Anton Tvete from DNV GL. “Shore power will therefore play an increasingly important role in port infrastructure of the future.”

Some 40 hybrid ships are on order for Norwegian shipping lines, with a similar number of plug-in hybrid vessels also due to enter service in the coming years, according to DNV GL. However, government support would be essential for establishing hybrid and battery-powered shipping, said Bjørn Vartdal, programme leader for Maritime Research at DNV GL.

“To establish shore power and associated infrastructure, we need the support of central government,” said Vartdal. “The development of infrastructure is critical. Shipping lines want to see a return on their investment within a relatively short time scale.”

Cavotec was instrumental in setting up the first shore-power connection in the Norwegian port city of Bergen, inaugurated in June of this year.

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