The marine shipping industry is well aware it needs to curb carbon emissions, and pollution of the oceans. However, ship owners can only wait for technology to catch up not being battery people. Innovation Origins published a thought piece by Jurgen van Dyk on September 17, 2022. The nub of the matter is the industry is waiting for super batteries.
Problems Super Batteries Could Untangle for Marine Shipping
Electric boats have made some progress with short haul routes, in which they recharge their batteries at both destinations. However, long-haul distances remain a challenge, because battery bulk reduces carrying capacity and the numbers don’t add up. Some industry experts also believe we have reached the end of the journey with lithium technology, .
That’s because this falls short of the super batteries the maritime industry requires. Although there is still hope for vessels following regular timetables with recharging points at every port. Jurgen van Dyk lists ferries, water taxis, short-haul freighters, and even cruise ships with regular ports of call among his options.
Syb ten Cate Hoedemaker is a director of Norwegian Maritime Battery Forum platform. “If you want to keep running a container ship on electrical power,” he explains “you need a huge amount of space for the marine batteries. If you were to do that, you would need so much space on the vessel that you couldn’t take anything else with you.”
Battery Safety is a Must for Marine Shipping Industry
A fire at sea is a terrifying experience for a lonely crew on the deep ocean. “You can dump an electric car that catches fire on the emergency lane,” Jurgen van Dyk explains. “But just try to rescue a burning ship”. Fireproof systems add more bulk and weight.
“We seem to have reached the upper limit of the capabilities of lithium battery technology,’ an industry leader confirms. “We need to invent a new kind of super battery”. This should be of great benefit to far more than just the marine shipping industry alone.
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