CIMAC & Maritime Battery Forum New Paper on Batteries in Deep-Sea Shipping

[By: CIMAC]

CIMAC and the Maritime Battery Forum now published the first of three white papers on the environmental impact of batteries in deep-sea shipping. The paper offers a comprehensive examination of use cases and application areas within this field. The experts from CIMAC's Greenhouse Gas Strategy Group, Working Group 20 System Integration, Working Group 21 Propulsion, and the Maritime Battery Forum have consolidated their knowledge and existing literature with empirical data in a comprehensive paper exploring the existing use cases and potential applications of batteries on today's deep-sea vessels. 

“Our objective was to provide relevant stakeholders in the maritime industry and other interested parties with an overview of the available options, while also outlining the boundaries of what is feasible. It was important for us to do that in cooperation with the Maritime Battery Forum, creating a series of papers that are neutrally covering the state-of-the-art without any bias or sentiments", says Dirk Bergmann, Chair of the CIMAC Greenhouse Gas Strategy Group.

The paper on use cases and application areas demonstrates that there is still potential for battery usage within the industry to support decarbonization. While it is evident that a fully battery-powered, zero-emission application is not available, battery usage may also be enhanced by the rise of alternative fuels, depending on needs based on changing design and sizing choices.

Syb Ten Cate Hoedemaker, Managing Director of the Maritime Battery Forum, is also looking forward on the papers to come: “Batteries will play an important role in the decarbonization of the maritime industry. To answer questions concerning what that role might entail within the deep-sea shipping sector, our two organizations combined their expertise. The release of the document on use cases and application areas provided a concise overview of industry practice and viable options, which is crucial for evaluating potential courses of action for numerous stakeholders within the maritime industry. We will be following up with a paper on regulation, safety, and the human factor, that will address additional critical issues concerning the environment of batteries onboard deep-sea going ships.”

The upcoming paper on regulation, safety, and impact on staff is expected to be published by the end of 2025. This will be followed by the third paper, which will address the main topics of energy storage and integration, including life-cycle assessment, operation range and limits.