Marine battery maker AYK Energy has secured a major contract to power the world’s first fully electric intercontinental fast ferries between Europe and Africa.
Spanish ferry operator Baleària will operate two electric catamarans on the 18-mile route between Tarifa, Spain, and Tangier, Morocco. The vessels will run solely on electric propulsion at speeds of up to 26 knots.
“AYK is honored to be selected by Baleària as the provider of this advanced battery solution,” said Chris Kruger, Founder of AYK Energy. He thanked Vulkan Española, AYK’s Spanish agent led by Jose Ignacio Cuenca, for supporting the project.
Kruger said AYK’s batteries will enable Baleària’s ferries to operate with zero emissions, aligning with Spain’s efforts to decarbonize transport. The company’s Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) batteries offer long lifespan, and high safety. Also, offers reliability compared to Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) batteries.
“The transition to electric and hybrid vessels is accelerating,” Kruger said. “This project highlights our ability to deliver efficient, environmentally progressive solutions for the maritime industry.”
In addition, the ferries are being built at the Armon shipyard in Gijón. Each of them will carry 225 vehicles and 804 passengers.
“AYK’s advanced battery systems will let us operate the entire route on electric energy,” said Pablo Garcia, Baleària’s New Projects Director. “Each journey will be fully decarbonized, avoiding emissions and eliminating noise and vibration.”
Each vessel will have 13.8 MWh of power distributed across four electric propulsion units. Lastly, in Tangier and Tarifa, autonomous robotic arms will connect the ferries to shore power and recharge the batteries in just 40 minutes.
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