A battery-powered self-unloading bulk carrier has begun operation in South Australia using Wärtsilä’s hybrid-electric propulsion system and an AYK Energy 6,758 kWh battery system.
The MV Yampu, a diesel-electric self-loading 11, 000 deadweight tonnage (dwt) Limestone Carrier has begun operations transporting limestone from construction materials company Adbri’s quarry on South Australia’s (SA’s) Yorke Peninsula to Canada Steamship Lines (CSL) subsidiary CSL Australia’s Birkenhead cement manufacturing plant in Adelaide.
An Andorra-based marine energy company AYK Energy 6.7 MWh Aries+S battery system installed on Yampu will recharge at Adbri’s facility, allowing battery operation for the ship approximately 40% of the time.
MV Yampu was built in China for CSL Australia under a contract held by Finland’s technology group Wärtsilä, and forms part of the vessel’s hybrid diesel-electric power system.
Approximately half of the ship’s energy demand comes from shore power and onboard storage, with the system’s design allowing for an upgrade to 100% electric operations in the future.
