European partnership set up to electrify water transport

The declaration was signed between the Batteries European Partnership Association and the Waterborne Technology Platform, a technology platform comprised of a range of stakeholders such as shipbuilders, research institutes and marine equipment manufacturers. It also represents EU member states.

It will be relevant to all waterborne transport, from workboats, tugs and ferries to inland navigation, cruise liners and intercontinental shipping, according to Jaap Gebraad, Secretary General of Waterborne TP.

”Waterborne transport moves nearly 90% of all international trade, more than 75% of external EU trade, and 40% of the internal EU trade,” he said. ”Undeniably, the sector is of strategic relevance to a functional society. Yet waterborne transport is also responsible for around 13% of total EU transport emissions. Globally, waterborne transport emits over one billion tons of CO₂, which accounts for 2-3% of total GHG emissions.”

The partnership has calculated it will need €485 million to spend on ’activities which are linked to the objectives of the partnership’, namely research, development and innovation, as well as demonstrations.

Gebraad said it was too early to say which particular technologies would stand out, and that the partnership was technology neutral.

“Batteries will be a key enabler to store green electrical energy to offer such zero-emission operation,” said Waterborne chairman Eero Lehtovaara. “As a diversified sector – in terms of ship size, ship types and voyage distances –waterborne transport will be dependent on various types of energy carriers to become a zero-emission mode of transportation.”