EST-Floattech supplies batteries for ferries

MS Laboe was christened in December, having been delivered by Holland Shipyards, and her battery system was installed this month by EST-Floattech.

It is a 560kWh Octopus High Energy System that the vessel will sail on while transporting commuters around the German city of Kiel.

The lithium battery system is scalable, so theoretically could be used on larger vessels.

Holland Ship Electric worked with EST-Floattech to integrate the lithium battery system, which is said to have thermal runaway protection. Thermal runaway is often considered to be the culprit behind a lot of the lithium battery fires that have appeared in electric vehicles with an increasing frequency.

MS Laboe is the fourth plug-in vessel and the third all-electric one to be run by SFK.

“We have a trusting and good cooperation with our Dutch shipyard and were able to incorporate the practical experience of the predecessor ships into the newbuild,” said SFK managing director Andreas Schulz. “Built in just 12 months, the MS Laboe is equipped with twice the battery capacity of its sister ships in order to be able to enjoy all-electric cruising on the Kiel Fjord for longer.

“Until now, this was only possible from the Kiel station bridge to the Bellevue ferry pier. The Laboe can carry 300 passengers and around 40 bicycles and is technically the most advanced ship in the fleet.”

“The new Octopus High Energy EST battery system has been successfully integrated into both the hybrid ferry Laboe and the fully battery-powered ferry Dietrichsdorf,” said Rens Gerritsen, project manager from Holland Shipyards Group.

“We have done many projects with EST-Floattech, and this was the first with their new Octopus Series energy storage solution, which has improved in many ways and was easily integrated into our power system,” said Holland Ship Electric John van de Sluis. “We look forward to many more successful collaborations in the future.”