AYK Energy Signs Second Chemical Tanker Battery Deal with Spain’s Mureloil
Marine battery manufacturer AYK Energy has signed a second contract with Spanish ship owner Mureloil, extending the use of battery-supported diesel-electric propulsion into the chemical tanker segment.
The agreement follows the installation of a battery system on Mureloil’s 8,000-deadweight-tonne tanker Bahía Candela and will see AYK supply an identical 4.2 MWh Aries+ battery system for its sister vessel Bahía Beatriz, currently under construction at Astilleros de Murueta shipyard near Bilbao.
Battery systems are widely used in ferries and workboats, but their adoption in tankers remains limited. The hybrid diesel-electric configuration on the two Mureloil vessels is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 50%, with the ships able to operate on full electric power during port operations.
AYK Energy founder Chris Kruger said the agreement was signed following a visit to the company’s battery manufacturing facility in Zhuhai, China, adding that the systems would support Mureloil’s expansion in the transport of biofuels and methanol.
“The time for marine batteries has come. Although these vessels are hybrid diesel electric we are now seeing that the technology is there to go fully electric not just on ferries, OSVs and workboats but also tankers like these,” Kruger said.
AYK noted the battery systems are based on lithium iron phosphate (LFP) technology, which the company argues offers safety and performance advantages over nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) batteries traditionally used in marine applications.
“NMC has been the most commonly used battery chemistry because of its supposed greater density, but its chemistry is known to be much more dangerous than LFP. AYK is showing that LFP can outperform NMC and deliver greater energy density, higher safety and better value,” added Kruger
The installation work will be supported by AYK’s Spanish agent, VULKAN.
According to AYK Energy, the demand for marine battery systems is being driven by tightening emissions regulations, including the EU’s FuelEU Maritime rules and the expansion of the EU Emissions Trading System to shipping. In June, AYK Energy’s latest range of marine battery systems received type approval from classification society DNV.
