Government policies will support the broader uptake of all-electric and battery-hybrid technologies in Asia, which currently has less than 7% of the global electrified commercial fleet
While marine electrification is accelerating globally, government policies emanating from Busan, Tokyo and Singapore will play a vital role in promoting broader adoption of electric and hybrid-battery technologies in Asia.
These were some of key takeaways that emerged during discussions at the webinar Electrifying Asia Pacific’s maritime future held 24 May as part of Asia Maritime Webinar Week. The Riviera Maritime Media event was produced in co-operation with premier partner ABB and sponsored by Berg Propulsion.
Berg Propulsion managing director for the Western Hemisphere Jonas Nyberg rattled off the key drivers behind the uptake of marine vessel electrification, notably its support of emissions reduction, regulatory compliance and advancement of corporate sustainability.
From a business case sense, Mr Nyberg, however, said one benefit that stands out is reduced opex. This may be the case where hydropower or nuclear power provide “the power sources on shore that are lower in cost than running diesel afloat,” he said.
There are also benefits in performance, he said, noting Berg Propulsion’s experience with its hybrid system. “It’s a different school of thought when it comes to how the vessel responds, how it accelerates and the manoeuvres you can do with these kinds of vessels compared to a pure diesel vessel.”
Berg has six electrical mechanical hybrid tugs in operation. “It’s a very natural step to complement these technologies with batteries,” he observed, “which drives you into a solution that becomes similar to what a traditional diesel tug is, with unlimited range but with the possibility of relatively easy displacing half of your diesel with shore power.”
Investing in a full-battery tug makes an operator completely dependent on the availability of shore power infrastructure that “allows you to charge at the cycle time you need to be able to perform your operation,” said Mr Nyberg. He said the equipment package for such a tug would cost roughly a little more than two times that of a traditional diesel mechanical tug.
Berg Propulsion, however, is investing in lowering this capex by developing a full-battery harbour battery tug design that will be fitted with an ultra-compact system, either with a 6-MWh or 8-MWh battery pack, charging box for gensets and shore power connections, diesel battery charger and range extender, power modules, and Berg MTA 628 L-drive thrusters.
Government policies driving electrification
Citing data from Clarksons Research, ABB Marine & Ports AMEA regional manager Alf Kåre Ådnanes said while hybrid-electric or electric vessels do not make up a large portion of the current orderbook — slightly less than 10% of newbuilds, it is “an increasing and interesting area, especially in these times where we are going towards zero- and low-carbon emissions.”
Electrification is increasing in the passenger, offshore and shortsea shipping sectors, he noted, with several zero-carbon emissions pilot projects, particularly in northern Europe.
Asia still has only a small percentage of the global fleet of vessels fitted with battery technology. According to DNV’s Alternative Fuels Insight platform, 43 of 619 ships fitted with batteries, either operating or under construction, are in Asia. This represents less than 7% of the global fleet. By contrast, Norway’s market share is close to 42%.
However, Mr Ådnanes said several countries in Asia have robust programmes “to drive this transformation and have very ambitious plans to cut the emissions in the domestic fleets.”
Among these programmes are the South Korean Government’s Green New Deal and ‘2030 Greenship-K Promotion Strategy’. Specifically targeting the maritime sector, the 2030 Greenship-K Promotion Strategy seeks to advance the use of emissions-free technologies, including electric and battery-hybrid technologies in the country’s fleet to phase out greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 70% by 2030.
As a result of the Greenship-K Promotion Strategy, South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) expects 15% of the South Korea-flagged fleet (528 out of 3,542 ships) to be represented by green vessels by 2030. Of those 528 ships, 388 would be publicly owned and 140 privately held.
From 2031-2040, MOF anticipates the introduction of zero-carbon vessels burning hydrogen and ammonia to further decarbonisation reductions. By 2050, MOF forecasts the GHG emissions from the South Korean fleet will be 5.93M tonnes — about half of 2017 levels (11.81M tonnes).
To underpin private sector investment in the green ship initiative, the South Korean Government is developing incentives, and it expects to generate Krw5Tn (US$4.0Bn) in sales for the domestic shipbuilding and shipping industries and Krw11Tn (US$8.7Bn) in production, while creating over 40,000 jobs by 2030.
In discussing his company’s power and energy management systems, remote diagnostic systems and fuel cell technology, Mr Ådnanes noted ABB’s involvement in several projects in Asia, including Busan Port Authority’s first all-electric passenger ferry built under the first government contract issued for the replacement of up to 140 South Korea state-owned conventionally powered vessels. Set for delivery in 2022 by Haemin Heavy Industries, the 40-m catamaran ferry will be powered by two 1,068-kWh battery packs, which will provide enough power for the ferry to complete up to four return journeys before charging from shore during the vessel’s overnight stops.
ABB’s Onboard DC Grid power distribution system will ensure the battery output is delivered to the vessel’s sub-systems, while ABB Power Energy Management Systems will control the overall power distribution, increase fault tolerance and provide a high degree of reliability.
Once in operation, this ferry will be remotely monitored and supported by ABB Ability operating centres and remote diagnostic tools.
Other projects noted by Mr Ådnanes include projects in Japan, such as the country’s first all-electric tug and e5 Lab’s hybrid-electric biomass fuel carrier Roboship, and southeast Asia’s first LNG battery-hybrid tug.
Japan’s ageing domestic passenger fleet provides a particularly attractive market, he noted. “About half of domestic transport is done by ships,” he said, estimating there are about 7,000 vessels operating, 5,000 of which are 15 years old or more. “There is a huge replacement programme going forward and combined with strong public and political will to decarbonise domestically, this is a really interesting area for us,” said Mr Ådnanes.
Singapore’s electrification efforts
SeaTech Solutions International vice president technology Prabjot Singh Chopra outlined Singapore’s plans to develop fully electric harbour craft as part of its roadmap to decarbonise the city-state’s inland waters. Some 1,600 conventionally powered harbour craft that include bunker tankers, tugs, ferries and supply launches operate in Singapore.
SeaTech is leading the ‘Goal Zero’ consortium, one of three consortiums that have received governmental backing to design, build and operate these fully electric vessels over the next five years for the port. The 12-member consortium, which includes Yinson Green Technologies and Shift Clean Energy, will develop an electric supply launch boat prototype with the capacity to transport 12 passengers and 35 tonnes of cargo. This vessel will be supported by charging infrastructure and equipped with swappable battery packs.
The electric supply launch boat will have a cruising speed of 7 to 9 knots, and maximum speed of 16 to 20 knots, with the capability of travelling 25 nautical miles, making two to three trips per day. The zero-emissions vessel will be launched in 2023.
“With electrification, one has to sit down together with the operators and work out the current operational envelope, and as we all know that with batteries, there is a defined energy content. Thus, this brings out the need for a new operational envelope to be developed together.”
Mr Chopra noted, “With electric vessels, the hull design plays a very important role,” requiring “new optimised designs.”
Minimising energy usage will be a key parameter, and a just-in-time arrival approach will be used to streamline logistics. Digital twin technology and data from onboard sensors will be used to make design and operational improvements.
One of the hurdles for the design process was the short time available for charging. This made Shift Clean Energy’s pay-as-you-go PwrSwäp service, based on swappable batteries, an attractive solution because it “does not require fast charging” and the modules “can be charged during the night when electricity is cheaper,” he explained.
“This business model, where the battery is leased, does not form part of the capex,” said Mr Chopra. “We are confident the adoption rate will significantly increase. The other charging solutions – fast charging and slow charging – are already available, but they provide an increase in the capex.”
SeaTech Solutions is also working on a series of four electric-hybrid bunker tankers for Vitol’s bunker operations company Vitol and a fully electric tug E-Volt for Vallianz.
Electrification: low-hanging fruit
Providing the operator’s perspective on the panel, Vallianz head of engineering, newbuilding and technology Elisa Woodward said there were several reasons the Singapore-listed company was taking the electrification route. While vessel operators will decide on the best strategies for their operations, “we all know we need to start contributing positively towards sustainability and decarbonisation,” said Ms Woodward. She said electrification “can be easily adapted to existing vessels and integrated into newbuild vessels without much fuss, and yet produce favourable net-zero emissions results. As long as we can determine what operations we intend to address with electrification, I can honestly say we can call it the low-hanging fruit.”
In February 2022, steel was cut for E-Volt at the company’s shipyard in Batam, Indonesia, Vallianz PT USP.
With an overall length of 24 m, the ABS-class e-tug will have azimuth propulsion, with a bollard pull in excess of 60 tonnes and service speed of over 12 knots.
A key feature of this project is the addition of onshore charging infrastructure which allows this vessel to integrate with existing port operations. The digital platform installed on the e-tug – from its battery management system to auxiliary equipment systems – will enable the end-user to remotely monitor and optimise the vessel’s operational efficiency. It will have the capability to sail 12 hours solely on battery power.
Ms Woodward also highlighted Vallianz’s co-operation with Royal IHC on the development of a battery-hybrid service operation vessel (SOV) for the offshore windfarm market. Vallianz signed a memorandum of understanding with Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM Deutschland) to provide shipmanagement services for the SOV.
She said the battery-hybrid system “is integrated with other technologically advanced solutions to reduce the opex costs and the expected greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared with a pure diesel-operated vessel.”
Challenges of electrification
Ms Woodward said, however, there are challenges with introducing electrification. “Most shipowners are actually quite stingy,” she said, noting owners would like to see quantifiable returns on investments but admitting there are tangible benefits from electrification including realistic payback periods, lower opex from parts and maintenance costs, and lower GHG emissions. But, she said, “we also need to be realistic that this has to be linked to how the batteries are charged and the GHG emissions associated with this.”
As is the case with adopting any new technology in the marine industry, she said electrification presents several challenges to the shipowner. “Embracing such technology requires huge support from a structure that includes financing, government support, and the client.”
She also highlighted the crew’s mindset in the success of any new technology. As an example, she cited two sister vessels that both received electrification upgrades. In one case, the crew fully embraced the new technology, while the other “complained continuously about the electrification upgrade” which they felt made the vessel less efficient.
“As you can imagine, it was actually proven that there were savings of more than 30% for the vessel” that had the crew that embraced the technology, and minimal savings for the sceptical crew. “This shows how the crew can actually make a big difference.”
Another challenge includes being realistic about what we expect to achieve from the vessel, understanding its operational profile and finding a good partner to work with, not only to find a commercial, but technically viable solution for each vessel.”
Concluded Ms Woodward, “We all recognise it cannot be expected that vessel owners can fully absorb the cost for any and all decarbonisation strategies without monetary support or governmental support. “There is a noticeable and tangible lack of support in the Asia Pacific region, unlike in Europe, US or even Middle East for shipowners to do more to achieve these targets, be it from government or financing houses.”
Fuel cells are coming
Mr Ådnanes is clearly bullish on the electrification market and is optimistic about the marine fuel-cell development. “They are the new chapter on electric propulsion,” he said.
While the introduction of marine fuel cells has been slower than some anticipated, Mr Ådnanes now believes their time has come. ABB is involved in several pilot and commercial projects. This includes a 3-MW hydrogen fuel cell that will be integrated with an ABB Onboard DC Grid for an undisclosed customer.
Mr Ådnanes said ABB and Canada’s Ballard Power Systems are developing a high-power hydrogen fuel cell concept capable of generating 3 MW of electrical power for larger vessels. He said the footprint for the hydrogen fuel cell is similar to the traditional diesel engine generator set, but the fuel tanks are “another story.”
