ABB and SeaFjord Energy introduce e-bunker vessel concept

Swiss automation company ABB and Swedish clean tech firm SeaFjord Energy have partnered to introduce an e-bunker vessel concept.

PHOTO: ABB and SeaFjord Energy’s e-bunker vessel concept. ABB

The vessel concept will include a large battery pack capable of supplying electric power to ships in areas where traditional shore power is less accessible, such as remote fjords and offshore locations.

The e-bunker vessel can be charged via a shore connection or draw energy from a wind farm. It will be used to charge other vessels at sea, delivering up to 50 megawatts (MW) of electricity to ships of various sizes. The vessel will also use electricity for propulsion.

It has been designed in collaboration with marine engineering firm FKAB Marine Design and classification society Bureau Veritas. The companies have not specified the construction timeline for the vessel or where the vessel will be built.

“This is the world’s first e-bunker vessel which will provide electric power to ships in fjords, ports and offshore,” SeaFjord Energy’s chief operating officer Elias Magnusson says.

By Tuhin Roy

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