Vessel electrification. The challenges and celebrations on the road to sustainability

Looking ahead – the advance of electric ship solutions.

With its sustainability ambitions, it is unsurprising that Damen is at the forefront of vessel electrification. The company is amongst the first to deliver electric tugs and ferries – vessels suited to electric operation by virtue of the relatively short, and predictable, routes they sail.

However, the transition to electric propulsion, is not without challenges. Piet Faasse, Electrical and Automation Director at Damen, compares the situation with the electrification of the automotive sector.

“When a bus breaks down, you just park it and wait for it to be towed to the garage. It’s not comparable to a vessel filled with passengers, or handling a large container ship.” This, he says, means many operators are still looking to incorporate diesel generator sets as back-up. And this, of course, has a negative impact on price. Damen has, however, arrived at a solution.

“To increase availability, we design an independent electrical system for port- and starboard side. That way, in the – unlikely – event one of the systems stops working, the other can continue.”

Creating confidence in new technology is not the only hurdle facing the electrification of vessels. Another challenge is the relatively low number of vessels being produced. “We build a lot of ships, but when it comes to electrification, we are in a very small market. If you compare the number of electric vessels built to the number of electric cars and buses, a totally different picture emerges.” Because of this it is not easy to create standard solutions, for example, for charging systems – making vessel electrification costly.“ Another factor,” he continues, “is the amount of power we need for an electric vessel.” As electrification grows in other sectors, however, there is potential to overcome these issues.

“Looking to the future, we will see a growing number of trucks become electrified. The business case is certainly there; the truck driver has to take regular rests – that’s a charging opportunity. We are looking to see if the technology associated with trucks will be compatible, or easily adaptable, for a maritime application. This would provide us with the chance to standardise.” Despite the obstacles, Piet is convinced there is a bright future, pointing to the many benefits associated with electric vessels.

“Many people who drive an electric car would not choose to switch back to a conventional combustion engine. I expect it will be the same in the maritime industry. It’s more efficient; an electric vessel loses far less energy to heat loss.” Plus, he says, the technology is advancing all the time.

“You only have to look back five years to see the progress. Already batteries are available that are good for 30,000 cycles. If you take three charging moments a day, that’s 30 years – the lifetime of a tug, still having 80% of the original battery capacity available, which means a 2nd life for the battery system as e.g. stationary solutions.

“Plus, we are getting more and more energy from renewable sources, which makes electrification of vessels increasingly viable, especially when you factor in the emerging availability of offshore charging. This creates an interesting case to operate an electric vessel in an offshore wind farm. I think, in the coming five years, we will see significant developments in vessel electrification.”

Aqualiner. The pros and cons of an electric operation

Someone familiar with the challenges of an electric vessel operation is Aqualiner CEO Peter Waterman. His company operates nine Damen hybrid and electric ferries and waterbuses.

“Of course, with new technology such as we are talking about here, there is always going to be a steep learning curve and things don’t always go smoothly to begin with. Damen has been very supportive in helping us deal with any issues that have arisen with the vessels and infrastructure.”

But, he says, there is only so much that Damen, and Aqualiner, can control. “Even when the vessels, and the charging infrastructure are operating perfectly, we currently face the problem of grid congestion in the Netherlands. As more and more businesses demand increasing electricity there will not be sufficient energy available, or the infrastructure to supply it. I think this is going to take some time to fix.

His colleague, Operational Manager Ibrahim Tosun, adds, “On the positive side, however, the clients are very happy; we have received the highest public transport satisfaction rating in the country. Passengers are used to diesel engines and now they can sail on an electric vessel that is smooth and silent.”

“In the end, the benefits will ensure a promising future for electric vessels,” concludes Peter. “Prices will go down because we won’t have the fuel consumption, and there will most likely be less maintenance. Besides, with no local emissions produced, the vessels will not be subject to emissions trading schemes.”

BC Ferries. A foundation for electrification

After successful participation in a tender procedure, Canada’s BC Ferries in 2018 awarded Damen a contract to build first two, then a further four, Island Class Ferries of type Road Ferry 8117 E3. At the time, BC Ferries was looking for ways to reduce the emissions of its operations.

“As part of their proposal, Damen provided a hybrid option that would allow us to develop the platform ready to go full electric in the future,” states David Tolman, Program Manager BC Ferries.”He explains that it was necessary to take a steady approach, rather than going straight into a full electric construction.

“Our ferries are a lifeline to local communities – many of them remote – we had to be sure that this was going to work, and we could continue to offer a reliable service.” With the first six Island Class ferries then, the foundations for electrification were put in place, with additional cooling units installed, and space reserved for future outfitting.

Fast forward a few years, and the success of this approach is plain to see. Damen is currently building four fully electric ferries for BC Ferries – based closely on the earlier vessels. “With the electric vessels, Damen has provided us with as much commonality as possible. Everything is in the same place, so we don’t need any extra crew training, or familiarisation. Damen made that commitment.

They have also provided the same Project Manager, and consistency in the Project Team. This has helped to create a really good collaboration between our two companies. We are really working together to make sure everyone benefits.”

Noatum Maritime. Try before you buy

In 2024, Damen delivered an RSD-E Tug 2513 to Noatum Maritime – the first fully electric tug in the Middle East. The vessel, named Bu Tinah quickly went on to make a name for itself, securing a Guinness World Record Title for Most Powerful Electric Tugboat.

Having built the vessel on speculation, Damen was able to provide it to the company on a lease basis. Ferlin Brown, Noatum Maritime’s Commercial & Business Development Director says this provided the company with a means to assess the vessel’s suitability for the company’s operational requirements.

“As part of our commitment to delivering more sustainable marine services, the opportunity to trial an electric tug allowed us to evaluate its performance within our operations before making a longer term investment and supported a more informed transition.”

The switch to an electric tug, he says, has been a straightforward one. “The vessel integrates seamlessly with our existing operations, making it easy for our crew to adapt. She saves fuel, and, from a crew welfare point of view, the reduction of noise and vibration is significant.”Recently, Damen has delivered a second RSD-E Tug 2513, named Bu Tinah 2 to Noatum Maritime.

Charging Energy Hub – Trading energy

To help address the challenges of network congestion, Damen is taking part in the Charging Energy Hub project explains Design and Proposal Engineer Ferries, Jan van Ooijen. The project is an industry collaboration, featuring 30 stakeholders, part subsidised by the Nationaal Groeifonds (national growth funds). “The idea is to build a complete picture of the energy demand and then to create a battery buffer to ensure supply even with limited grid power and enable trading on the energy market.”

To this end, Damen is currently building a demonstration case, scheduled for delivery in 2027. “You can imagine a scenario in the future, where such a solution is installed in a port, serving as a hub for multiple users, a bit like a bunkering station, but with electricity. There exists the possibility to deliver power back to the grid when demand is high – for example, when everyone is coming home in the evening and preparing food. This energy trading will provide some way to offset the costs of investment.”