Waterways

EMISSION-FREE PUSH BOAT

The ’world’s fi rst’ push boat combines battery-electric propulsion with hydrogen fuel cell technology

Elektra has been delivered and named at the Westhafen in Berlin following almost two years of construction at shipyard Hermann Barthel GmbH in Derben.

At the naming ceremony, Germany’s Federal Minister, Dr Volker Wissing, spoke about on the importance of hydrogen mobility to achieve the German government’s climate protection goals.

“The Elektra is a lighthouse project: It is the world’s first push boat in which battery-electric propulsion is combined with hydrogen and fuel cell technology. The entire project is a blueprint for the climate and environmentally friendly inland shipping, not only technically but also in terms of regulation real pioneering work,” he said.

Pioneering

The project is being managed by the Department of Maritime Systems Design and Operations at the Technical University of Berlin. Project partners are BEHALA - Berliner Hafen- und Lagerhausgesellschaft (logistics), shipyard Hermann Barthel, Ballard Power Systems (fuel cells), Argo-Anleg (hydrogen system), SER Schiffselektronik Rostock (electrical energy system), EST-Floattech (battery system) and HGK Shipping (nautical operation).

The German government wants the Elektra to serve as a blueprint because its power system is designed to be applicable to a variety of barge and coastal vessel types. Also, this is not only about providing energy for the ship’s propulsion and pushing convoys, but also about supplying energy for the crew, who live, cook and wash on board.

In addition to propulsion, the system provides energy for the temperature control of the cabins and the wheelhouse. The battery system also needs a certain ‘comfortable temperature’ for efficient operation and a long lifespan. All of this must be done with a limited amount of carried energy and without loss of operational range.

The waste heat from the fuel cells is used through continuous water cooling and the cabins are heated by a brine heat pump. An additional advantage is that the ship always operates in water with temperatures above 0°C under its keel.

The use of a self-developed energy management system and a digital sailing assistant support the captain and logistics planner with the planning of operations and transports.

With 750 kg of gaseous hydrogen (at a pressure of 500 bar) on board and a battery capacity of about 2,500 kilowatt hours, the ship has a range of around 400 kilometres when sailing in combination with the loaded heavy lift barge Ursus.

Therefore, next to the Westhafen in Berlin, only one additional land-based station is needed to supply the Elektra with hydrogen and electricity to sail on the waterways of Berlin in the direction of the Rhine/Ruhr, Hamburg and Stettin. In total the vessel can operate push-barge combinations up to 150m in length.

The first stations for the changeover of hydrogen tanks and 500 kilowatt electric charging stations will be operational in Berlin’s Westhafen as well as in the port of Lüneburg in 2023.

TU Berlin has contracted Mittelelbe Business Park and H2 Green Power & Logistics for filling and transporting the tank systems (Multiple Energy Gas Container - MEGC) with green hydrogen until the end of the Elektra project at the end of 2024.

The MEGC can be exchanged with the onboard crane and the power connection runs via a loading beam that guide the cables to land. This way the handling of the arm-thick cables is very easy for the ship’s crew, the vessel is connected to the charging station in a short time and the quayside is free of cables.

Testing of Elektra will initially take place in the capital region, but as of 2023 the tests will also be continued on long-distance routes towards Hamburg.

With total project funding of €14.6 million, the project is being funded by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV) and supported and coordinated by project manager Jülich (PTJ) and the National Organization for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NOW).

Credit: EST-Floattech 8 Elektra is the

world’s fi rst push boat in which battery-electric propulsion is combined with hydrogen and fuel cell technology

8 ESS-Floattech has supplied what it calls the

‘world’s fi rst’ fi rst battery electric powered crane which is also hydrogen ready

BATTERY POWER AND FUTURE FUEL READY

Dutch maritime battery supplier ESTFloattech has marked a fl urry of orders this year from the port equipment and ferry sectors, symbolising a wider transition that is taking place in the industry.

“It is interesting to see changing market demand as part of the energy transition. It is clear that our industry is evolving towards a more environmentally friendly mindset, partly driven by external regulations, but also by developing insights within maritime companies themselves,” said Walter van der Pennen, commercial director at EST-Floattech.

Future fuelled

More recently, EST-Floattech has been contracted by system integrator Hoogendijk Electric to design and deliver the complete battery system for a Norwegian newbuild: the third hybrid coaster for Hagland, currently being built at Royal Bodewes shipyard and due for delivery in mid 2023.

EST-Floattech’s DNV-certifi ed Green Orca battery system enables the 5,000 DWT self-discharging bulk carrier to make zero-emission port calls. The vessel, one of a series of three, will also sail in full-electric mode reducing emissions and noise in environmentally sensitive environments, such as in fjords or near-coastal communities. When there is no shore connection available the battery system also allows for zero-emission discharging of the transported bulk cargo.

During long distance transits, the system allows for peak shaving via the electric motor and generator (aka the PTI/PTO). The batteries can be charged during transit or in harbour via shore connection.

Another contract of note for the company is for Technisch Installatiebureau Oechies to supply what it calls the ‘world’s fi rst’ fi rst battery electric powered crane which is hydrogen ready. The crane has been converted thanks to a new system developed by RKB in collaboration with ECS Holland and can run for more than eight hours on its ESS battery system.

Ferry demand

The demand from the ferries sector has also been high. EST-Floattech has supplied seven new ‘IJveer’ ferries which operate on the river IJ in Amsterdam.

These ferries were built by Holland Shipyards in Hardinxveld-Giessendam, the Netherlands, and are powered with ESTFloattech Lithium-Ion Polymer technology (273kWh). The electrifi cation of the vessels is driven by the city’s ambition to provide sustainable public transport; transport that benefi ts the crew, the passengers and citizens living nearby.

Partially powered by 26 Green Orca 1050 modules, producing 273 kWh in total, the new ferries are larger and cleaner than the old diesel-fuelled ferries. Each ferry is able to transport 70 more passengers on each crossing of the increasingly busy IJ waterway, while making less noise and producing lower emissions.

In addition, another electric ferry is set to join the fl eet of Västtrafi k, the organisation responsible for public transportation in the port city of Gothenburg, Sweden, running a route across the Gota Alv river in 2022. The battery-electric vessel is to be built by the Uudenkaupungin Työvene Oy shipyard.

Compared with its already operational sister vessel, Elvy, the new ferry will feature a larger energy storage system, supplied by ESTFloattech, with a total capacity of 1,260kWh and consisting of 120 individual modules. This should allow for between 7-8 hours of run time between charges and has also allowed for only a single generator to be installed on board, alongside smaller fuel tanks. The genset meets IMO Tier 3 emission regulations and will run on bio-diesel.

The ferry’s operators say the propulsion solution is expected to cut CO2 emission by more than 55%, with nitrogen oxides and particles emissions reduced by 40%, compared with the sister vessels running on diesel electric power.