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Seawork
9th - 11th June 2026Speed@Seawork
8th June 2026Seawork Conferences
The 27th edition of Europe’s largest commercial marine and workboat exhibition provides businesses the opportunity to showcase their services, equipment, vessels and supplies to an international audience. Speed@Seawork on 8th June in Cowes offers a sector specific event that showcases fast vessels operating at high speed for security interventions and Search & Rescue. "Get Set for Workboat 2050", in partnership with Seawork, Maritime Journal and The Workboat Association, is a series of conferences which deal with decarbonisation and all aspects of improving OPEX efficiencies. Visit the Seawork Website Speed@Seawork on the Seawork Website View on Seawork
Batteries in Maritime - A Special Report
A word from the editor…
The maritime world is electrifying – there’s little doubt about that. But unlike diesel, which is one size that pretty much fits all, batteries will have to come in different shapes and sizes to suit the wide range of vessels out there.
While there is a vast range of opinions on what the ultimate solution will look like, few would disagree that it will be a mixed picture: no fuel has yet turned up or been developed that has everything diesel has – the price, the abundance and the performance, all wrapped up in one – and already different fuels are suitable or attractive to different vessel types.
Long seen as the cornerstone of the transition to low- and zero-emission shipping, batteries are now being deployed at scale across a growing range of vessel types, from ferries and tugs to offshore support ships and even coastal cargo carriers.
In the first of Maritime Journal’s Special Reports, we talk to four of the pioneering marine battery makers about what they’re doing to meet demand; which battery chemistries they’ve gone for and why; and the different systems they are coming up with.
The companies we spoke to who make marine batteries – our sponsor, AYK Energy; EST-Floattech; Leclanché and Wärtsilä – are very confident in this space; however a senior employee at one of the world’s largest tug operators, who asked to remain anonymous, expresses huge doubts over battery feasibility in tug operations. But this view is counter balanced with word from the operator of Sparky, the world’s first electric tug, which is still going strong in New Zealand.
When it comes to charging, a plethora of ideas is emerging: read our interview with Stillstrom, which has come up with offshore charging buoys that could keep the big boats out of our ports to limit emissions there, for example. AYK Energy has come up with its own charging idea – read our full interview on page 4.
What is clear is that the pace of change is accelerating. With more than a thousand battery-powered vessels already in operation worldwide and many more on order, electrification is becoming mainstream – it’s just how it will happen that is the question.
It’s an uncertain world – and how best we are going to fuel it remains one of the greatest uncertainties.
- Debbie Mason, Editor, Maritime Journal
dmason@mercatormedia.com
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In this issue:
AYK Energy: Pioneering the electric revolution
From 12MWh ferry systems to a future with containerised power, AYK Energy says it’s leading the world with its fast, safe, cost-effective marine batteries. Maritime Journal spoke to founder Chris Kruger about the company’s meteoric rise and its plans for an electric future.
EST-Floattech outlines plans to electrify the high seas
In a maritime sector increasingly pressured to cut emissions and embrace clean technologies, EST-Floattech is making waves with its advanced battery systems.
INTERVIEW: Leclanché powers up for marine battery boom
Swiss battery maker Leclanché says its marine batteries are difficult to compete with, whether in performance, sourcing or recycling. In the third of our series of interviews with battery makers, we talk to Guillaume Clément, vice president for Marine Mobility.
INTERVIEW: Wärtsilä on marine’s electric future
Torsten Büssow from Wärtsilä on how the company is moving forward in the battery systems market for all vessel types.
Navigating battery risks: Still a bridge too far?
Are we there yet? Despite so many battery manufacturers hailing the benefits, the risks and problems of onboard and onshore battery systems identified in a recent Bureau Veritas report suggests not.
Deep dive: Battery tugs - feasible or ‘crazy’?
Driven by calls and looming regulations to operate with zero emissions, fleet operators all over the world are having to consider electrifying their fleets, but one tug manager told Maritime Journal they were a ‘crazy’ idea.
Batteries in RIBs: A positive review
Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIBs) are obviously at the smaller end of the market for batteries in commercial marine, and one well-known adopter, RS Electric Boats, is confident they are up to the job. Head of Engineering Alex Middleton spoke to MJ about the company’s use of batteries in their fleet.
