Home
Archive
- Recent News
- Recent Features
- 2008
- 2007
- 2006
- 2005
- 2004
- 2003
  - January
  - February
  - March
  - April
  - May
  - June
  - July
  - August
  - September
  - October
  - November
  - December
- 2002
Directory
Jobs
Maritime Events
Editorial Guide
Advertise
Circulation
Subscribe to the print edition

Submit Story

Send us your news...

Get Email News

Subscribe NOW

Get the print edition

Deck Equipment & Lifting Gear

Cruising the Comfort Zone of Back-Up Power

01 Apr 2003

Rechargeable nickel-cadmium battery technology has been selected in preference to valve regulated lead acid (VRLA) batteries to provide 30 minutes of emergency back-up power for Royal Caribbean's fleet of Radiance Class luxury cruise ships. Two of the four vessels from the Meyer Werft shipyard of Papenburg in Germany have already been delivered, with the other two due for launch this year and next.

The 2002 launched Brilliance of the Seas is fitted with SPH rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries for emergency back-up power.

The exact specification varies from ship to ship but typically they displace 90,090 tonnes, have 15 decks and the capacity for over 2,000 passengers.

The vessels are driven by two electrically powered podded propulsion units.

In the event of mains power failure, the main onboard battery is required to provide 188kW of power for a minimum of 30 minutes to support the ship's key electrical services, including lighting and emergency steering. Royal Caribbean specified Saft SPH rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries which are designed specifically for critical applications where a reliable source of back-up power is essential.

The key feature of the SPH cells is their sintered/plastic bonded electrode technology which is proven to need only minimal attention after installation. This is due to their non-corrosive construction and very efficient electrochemistry making repeated checks for water replenishment, recharging or replacement completely unneccesary.

The inherent reliability over a 20 year or longer service life eliminates the fear of the unpredictable 'sudden death' failure sometimes encountered with lead-acid batteries.

Royal Caribbean benefits from savings of regular replacement, maintenance and down-time costs. The SPH batteries are also compact, lightweight, and perform reliably at temperature extremes ranging from +60ºC to -40ºC.

MJ Information No: 18129

Images for this article - click to enlarge

Related products

For more information on products mentioned within this article visit

Meyer Werft GmbH